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•IP \ 




TO THE 

MOST REVEREND, THE PRIMUS 

AND 

THE OTHER BISHOPS 

OF 

THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH IN SCOTLAND, 

THIS VOLUME 

IS BY THEIR PERMISSION DEDICATED, 

AS TO THE ONLY REMAINING SUCCESSORS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THOSE 
BRITISH BISHOPS, WHO IN THE REIGN OF PETER THE FIRST 
HELD A CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE RUSSIAN SYNOD ; 
A CORRESPONDENCE, WHICH WAS DROPPED 
ON THE DEATH OF PETER 
WITH AN ASSURANCE FROM THE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT, 
THAT IT SHOULD BE RENEWED AT SOME FUTURE AND 
MORE CONVENIENT OPPORTUNITY. 



PREFACE, 



The purpose of this volume is to set before the reader the 
Doctrine of the Russian Church, in that form in which it is 
actually inculcated upon children, lay people, and clergy, 
from Baptism to Ordination. 

As regards the Documents themselves, which it contains, 
nothing more is needed by way of introduction than to state 
briefly what they are; and what is the nature and extent of 
their authority. 

I. The Primer for Children, which stands first, and the ■ 
other Primer mentioned in the note at p. 14, for grown 
people, are in fact but two slightly differing forms of one 
and the same book, which had long been in use in Russia 
before the introduction of the modern-Russ or Civil Alphabet 
in the time of Peter the First. Since that time those editions, 
which have been issued by the Synod, have naturally taken 
more or less notice of the Civil Alphabet and idiom ; though 
the book itself, as being the Primer of the Church, and de- 
signed to convey the rudiments of religious and Ecclesiastical 
learning, has preserved in the main its Slavonic character. 
Besides this, other Primers have from time to time been pub- 
lished either by the Civil Government, or by private persons, 
which take little or no notice of the Ecclesiastical idiom, be- 
yond giving the Alphabet : but these have no claim to be 
compared, in point of authority, with the original Primer of 
the Church ; though it is true that they are always submitted 
to the Spiritual Censorship, and are in their contents very 
much the same as the Slavono-Russian Primer published by 
the Synod. The most ancient of these Civil or modern- 




VI 



PREFACE. 



Russian Primers was drawn up by Theophanes Procopovich 
(then Arclibisliop of Pleskoff,) and was put forth in the time 
of Peter I. A.D. 1720. A translation of it into English was 
published shortly afterwards at London, A.D. 1723, under 
the title of The Russian Catechism ; and reached a second 
edition. 

II. and III. The Shorter and Longer Catechisms are printed 
and published by the Synodal Press not only in the Slavonic, 
but also in the modern- Russian character and idiom. Both 
of them in that form, in which they now stand, and in which 
alone they are enjoined to be used, were drawn up by Phi- 
laret, the present illustrious Metropolitan of Moscow, and 
after careful revision were not merely approved and licensed, 
but adopted and promulgated by the Most Holy Synod as the 
Catechisms of the Church Herself, A.D. 1839. The Longer 
Catechism, in particular, having been translated into Greek, 
and sent to all the Eastern Patriarchs and other Churches of 
the same Rite and Communion, and ha^vdng been received on 
all sides with unanimous approbation, has a just claim to 
that title which it bears in the original, and which literally 
translated would stand thus: A Full Catechism of the Or- 
thodox Catholic Church of the East : though the word ' Full' 
having reference also to the 'Short Catechism' of the Russian 
Chu^^ch, it was found difficult to give this title with exact- 
n^s in the translation. 

It must not, however, be supposed that these two Cate- 
chisms either in their present form, or in that in which 
they were first published for the single Diocese of Moscow, 
originated solely with the Metropolitan, who has been named 
as their Author. They are in fact, though recast, and much 
improved in method and style by his labour, and by that of 
the Synod itself, yet in substance the representatives of older 
Catechisms under similar titles, which have been from time 
to time authorized by the Spiritual Authorities ; though none 
before these have ever been appropriated in so distinct a 
manner by the Church Herself. Such were the Russian 
Catechism drawn up in the reign of Peter L, and The Shorter 



PREFACE. 



Vll 



and Longer Catechisms sanctioned by the Synod under 
Catherine II. on the occasion of the establishment of Schools 
for the people in Russia, which went through many editions. 
Such again were the three Catechisms, and the Orthodox 
Doctrine, or Summary of Christian Divinity, composed by 
Platon, sometime Metropolitan of Moscow; the latter of 
which appeared first in the year 1762, and is a work of very 
considerable authority, having been translated into no less 
than eight languages, and received into use with general 
approbation beyond the limits of the Russian Church. But 
all these, and other similar publications which might be 
named, are no ways to be compared in point of authority 
with the Catechisms given in the present Volume. 

Besides earlier Russian publications, such as have been 
named, or alluded to, and the still more ancient writings of the 
Fathers of the Universal Church, the reader who would trace 
historically the Theology of the present Russian Catechisms 
ought to have some acquaintance with the Doctrinal decrees 
and writings of the Modern Greek Church ; particularly 
with the Answers of the Patriarch Jeremiah to the Lutherans, 
(1574 — 1581.); the Orthodox Confession, (A.D. 1643.); and 
the Eighteen Articles of the Synod of Bethlehem, (A.D. 1672.) 
These documents, it is true, originated more or less in con- 
troversy : one of them was composed under the political in- 
fluence of Frenchmen and Latins for party purposes ; and all 
have much in them of a controversial tone and character ; 
and so differ widely from the Russian Catechisms, which 
breathe rather the natural spirit of the Church equably di- 
viding the word of truth to her obedient children. But still, 
having been received, so far as respects their substance at 
least, throughout the whole Eastern Communion, and being 
repeatedly referred to as of authority in the Russian Cate- 
chisms themselves, they are very necessary assistances to- 
wards their right understanding and appreciation. 

IV. The Treatise On the Duty of Parish Priests was com- 
posed by George Konissky, Bishop of Mogileff, with the 
assistance of Parthenius Sopkofsky, Bishop of Smolensk, 



viii 



PREFACE. 



and was first printed at St. Petersburgh, A.D. 1776. The 
Antlior^ George Konissky, besides other writings, was cele- 
brated for the Latin Oration which he made_, July 17, A.D. 
1765, at Warsaw, before Stanislas Poniatofsky, the then 
newly-elected King of Poland, and in which he set forth in 
a touching manner the persecutions endured by the mem- 
bers of the Eastern Church in the Polish Provinces at the 
hands of the Latins. He was born in the year 1717; and 
died at MogilefF, A.D. 1795, being at the time of his death 
Archbishop of MogilefF and White Russia, and a Member of 
the Russian Synod. His treatise On the Duty of Parish 
Priests has been adopted by the whole Russian Chui'ch, and 
even beyond its limits, wherever the Slavonian Church-dialect 
is understood : and all candidates for holy Orders in the Dio- 
cesan Seminaries and in the Superior Spiritual Academies 
are required to have read it, and to shew their acquaintance 
with its contents, previously to being ordained. 

As regards the question of doctrinal authority generally, it 
is important to understand that the members of the Eastern 
Church are neither bound in conscience, on the one hand, to 
every word and letter of any modern documents, nor left free, 
on the other hand, to indulge in an unlimited license of 
criticism. Beyond the Creed itself, the Eastern Church has no 
general doctrinal tests ; no Oath, like that of Pope Pius IV; no 
Symbolical Books, strictly speaking, like those of the Protes- 

1 tants and the Reformed ; no Thirty-nine Articles, like those 
subscribed in England. But still she is not the less on that 
account provided with a sufficient security that the true faith, 

, in its fullest sense, shall be held and taught under the letter 
of the Creed, and that the doctrinal decisions of former ages 
shall be maintained. This security lies in a living spirit of 
orthodoxy, protected against gainsayers, in case of necessity, 
by the terror of excommunication. Whatever is felt or 
known to form part of the faith of the Church, even though 
it be as yet unwritten, must be received with implicit venera- 
tion, as coming from the infallible Spirit of God : much more 
all doctrine of faith which has been written by orthodox men, 



PREFACE. 



IX 



or even by whole Synods, so far as it is felt and known to 
have the sanction of the Church. And thus, to apply what 
has been said, the doctrine written in St. CyriFs Cate- 
chetical Lectures, in St. John Damascene's treatise On the 
Faith, in the Orthodox Confession, in the xviii Articles 
of the Synod of Bethlehem, and in the present Russian 
Catechisms, must be held by all members of the Eastern 
Church to be one and the same thing in substance with the 
Creed itself, so far as it is felt and known that these different 
treatises and expositions have been approved by the Church. 
But still, inasmuch as in these and in all similar compositions 
of any length, and even in the very canons of orthodox 
Councils, there are of necessity many words and propositions 
which are either beside the province of faith altogether, or 
else beside the purpose of the writers in writing, or of the 
Church in approving, in all such subordinate matters of 
detail free scope is left for the exercise of learned and reli- 
gious criticism. Upon such principles it was that the Russian 
Synod, in 1838, in publishing a translation of the xviii 
Articles of the Synod of Bethlehem, made no scruple to 
modify some things, and even to omit one whole Answer, 
which was felt to be inaccurate. And upon the same prin- 
ciples it is quite free, and not unreasonable, to maintain that 
the Longer Russian Catechism, though identical of course in 
the substance of doctrine with all documents approved by 
the Eastern Church, is yet in many points of detail, in 
method and language, and even in some minor doctrinal 
respects, of greater weight and value, not only than the 
Eighteen Articles of the Synod of Bethlehem, but even than 
the Orthodox Confession itself. 

In conclusion, it cannot be out of place to remind the 
reader that the Doctrine of the Russian is at the least the 
same with that of the whole Eastern Church; and if any 
one believes that there is, essentially, upon earth but one 
true Church, and one definite Orthodoxy, it must be for such 
a one a matter of serious reflection in reading any volume 
like the present, how far his own part of the Church, and how 



X 



PREFACE. 



far he himself, as an individual^, has been hitherto adequately 
confessing that truth, which he recognizes in the doctrine 
of others; also, how far he has good and solid grounds 
to go upon, if in any thing he rejects what others teach 
in the name of Christ. So far as he feels himself to agree, 
he ought assuredly to desire to make his agreement 
known; and thus both do his own duty by confessing 
truth, and also remove in some degree unnecessary offences 
and impediments, which now stand in the way of peace : 
while so far as he thinks himself to differ, and thinks also 
that he, or his own part of the Church, has good grounds 
for differing, he ought no less assuredly to remember that 
truth is not for him alone, nor for any particular Church or 
Empire, but for the Universe, and for the Universal Church : 
and whatever Bishop, or w^hatever Church thinks itself to 
have the truth upon any point, and condemns others, it is 
bound to labour zealously and unceasingly for their correc- 
tion. Otherwise, whether we think that we agree in the truth 
with any others, we deceive ourselves : for, if we were really 
agreed, we should never rest till our agreement was known 
and understood on both sides : or whether we confess that we 
differ, we condemn our own selves for differing : for, if we 
were really good Christians, and represented the Truth, and 
the true Faith and doctrine of the Universal Church, in that 
point, in which we differ, we could never for any length of 
time acquiesce passively in the ignorance or error of our 
brethren : nay, nor even of heathen : especially in such a 
time as the present, when the nations of the world are at 
peace, and facilities are every day increasing for all manner 
of communication and intercourse. 



A TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Introductory Notices : — 

I. Of the Answers of the Patriarch Jeremiah to the Lutherans. . xv 
II. Of the Book entitled An Orthodox Confession of the Faith of the 

Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East. .... xvi 

III. Of the XVIII Articles of the Synod of Bethlehem. . . . xxv 

THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 

Daily Prayers, p. 3. Short Moral Precepts, p. 5. A Brief Catechism, p. 7 : 
on Faith, Good Works of Obedience, and Prayer. 

THE SHORTER CATECHISM OF THE RUSSIAN 
CHURCH. 

Introduction, p. 17. Of the Creed, ib. Of the Lord's Prayer, p. 22. Of the 
Ten Commandments, p. 24. 

THE LONGER CATECHISM OF THE RUSSIAN 
CHURCH. 

Preliminary Instruction: On the meaning of the word Catechism : On 
the necessity of Faith and Good Works, and in the first place of Faith, p. 31. On 
Divine Revelation, p. 33. On Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture, p. 34. On 
Holy Scripture in particular, p. 37. The Composition of the Catechism, p. 43, 

THE FIRST PART OF THE CATECHISM, ON FAITH. 
On the Creed, generally, and its origin, p. 44. On the Articles of the Creed, 
p. 46. On the First Article, p. 47. On the Second, p. 55. On the Third, p. 58. 
On the Fourth, p. 65. On the Fifth, p. 68. On the Sixth, p. 70. On the 
Seventh, p. 7L On the Eighth, p. 73. On the Ninth, p. 75. On the Tenth, 
p. 84. On Baptism, ib. On Unction with Chrism, or Confirmation, p. 87. On 
the Communion, p. 89. On Penitence, p. 94. On Orders, p. 95. On Matrimony, 
p. 96. On Unction with Oil, p. 97. On the Eleventh Article of the Creed, ib. 
On the Twelfth Article, p. 100. 



XII 



CONTENTS. 



THE SECOND PART OF THE CATECHISM, ON HOPE. 
Definition of Christian Hope, its ground, and the means thereto, p. 102. On 
Prayer, ib. On the Lord's Prayer, p. 104. On the Invocation, or Preface, ib. 
On the First Petition, p. 105. On the Second, ib. On the Third, p. 106. On 
the Fourth, ib. On the Fifth, p. 107. On the Sixth, p. 108. On the Seventh, 
p. 109. On the Doxology, or Conclusion, ib. On the Doctrine of Blessedness 
or Beatitude, ib. On the First of our Lord's Beatitudes, p. 110. On the 
Second, p. 111. On the Third, p. 112. On the Fourth, ib. On the Fifth, 
p. 113. On the Sixth, p. 114. On the Seventh, p. 115. On the Eighth, 
p. 116. On the Ninth, ib. 

THE THIRD PART OF THE CATECHISM, ON LOVE, OR CHARITY. 

On the Union between Faith and Charity, p. 117. On the Law of God, and 
the Commandments, p. 118. On the Division of the Commandments into Two 
Tables, p. 120. On the First Commandment, p. 122. On the Second, p. 125. 
On the Third, p. 127. On the Fourth, p. 128. On the Fifth, p. 131. On the 
Sixth, p. 135. On the Seventh, p. 137. On the Eighth, p. 138. On the Ninth, 
p. 140. On the Tenth, p. 141. 

CONCLUSION : APPLICATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF FAITH AND 
PIETY, p. 142. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 

A PREFATORY ADDRESS TO PRIESTS, p. 145. 

CHAPTER I. 

What the Priesthood is, p. 149. i. By whom instituted, ib. ii. To what End, 
p. 150. iii. How excellent the Order of Priesthood is, ib. iv. Of how great 
difficulty and danger, p. 151. v. Who may properly be admitted to it, p. 152. 
vii. The Priest's Duty divided into Four Parts, p. 153. ix. 

CHAPTER II. 

OF THE FIRST PART OF THE PRIEST's DUTY, OR THE INSTRUCTION OF 
HIS PEOPLE. PART I. OF TEACHING BY WORD. 

The First Duty of the Priest is to Teach, p. 154. i. "VMiat the Priest ought to 
teach, and from what sources, p. 159. vii. In what way or ways, according to a 
five-fold division of the kinds or branches of teaching, p. 165. xiv. Where, and 
When, p. 177. XXX. Conclusion from the above, p. 178. xxxiii. Pattern of the 
Teaching of St. Paul, from Holy Scripture, p. 180. xxxiv. 



CONTENTS. 



xiii 



CHAP. II. PART 11. 

OF TEACHING BY DEED : (WHICH INCLUDES THE SECOND PART OF 
THE priest's duty, THAT OF LIVING HOLILY.) 

It is the Priest's Duty to Teach his people Holy Living by his own example, 
p. 182. i. Those virtues which peculiarly become Piiests are set forth, as enu- 
merated by the Apostle Paul, p. 187. vi. Some other virtues are added, which 
are also proper for Priests, p. 199. xxiv, 

CHAPTER III. 

OF THE THIRD PART OF THE PRIEST's DUTY, THAT IS, OF MINISTERING 
ABOUT MYSTERIES, OR SACRAMENTS. 

Propositions relating to all the Sacraments generally, p. 204. ii. Propositions 
relating to Baptism, p. 208. x. With respect to Unction with Chrism, or Con- 
firmation, p. 212. xix. With respect to Penitence, p. 213. xx. Before Confes- 
sion, ib. xxi. At the time of Confession, p. 218. xxix. After Confession, 
p. 227. xxxix. With respect to the Holy Commimion, p. 229. xli. With re- 
spect to Orders, p. 234. xlvii. With respect to Matrimony, ib. xlviii. With 
respect to the Unction of the Sick with Oil, p. 239. Ivi. 

CHAPTER IV. 

OF THE FOURTH PART OF THE PRIESt's DUTY, THAT IS, PRAYER. 
PART I. OF PRAYER GENERALLY, AND WHAT IS TO BE OBSERVED 
IN IT. 

What Prayer is, p. 241. i. &c. Prayer and Service of God inward and out- 
ward, p. 244. vi. Inward Prayer and service, ib. vii. Outward Prayer and service, 
p. 245. viii. Outward Prayer either public, or private, ib. ix. Private Prayer 
either oral, or mental, p. 246. x. Inward avails without outward, but outward 
avails nothing without the inward, p. 247. xi. Yet the outward may not therefore 
be omitted, ib. xiii, &c. Seven assistances are set forth, in order that our Prayers 
may always be offered in spirit and in truth, p. 249. xvii, &c. What things are 
to be asked for in Prayer, p. 255. xxvii. A short explanation of the Lord's 
Prayer, ib. xxix. Duties of resignation, p. 259. xxxiv, and diligence in Prayer, 
p. 260. xxxvi. Duty of praying for all men, even for enemies, p. 261. xxxvii. 
And of asking our brethren to pray for us, ib. xxxviii. It is a righteous and holy 
thing to ask the Prayers of the Saints in the same sense and manner, as those of 
our brethren upon earth, ib. xxxix. Of Fasting, Watching, and Sobriety, as aids 
to Prayer, p. 262. xl, &c. Motives and incitements to Prayer, p. 267. 1, &c. 
Evils of neglecting it, p. 268. Hi. All the above profitable only when offered or 
done with faith, in spirit, and in truth, p. 269. liii. 



xiv 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IV. PART II. 

OF PRAYER AS THE SPECIAL DUTY OF PRIESTS. 

Those Commandments of the Lord are pointed out, which mention Prayer as 
the special duty of Priests : p. 272. i, &c. For what, and for whom it is ^the 
Priest's special duty to pray ; that is, for the communication of the good things 
of God's Kingdom, in other words, of the Gospel to mankind ; and, particularly, 
for all Believers: p. 273. iv, &c. For all men; and first, for the Sovereign, and all 
that are in authority; p. 275. vi. For all the sins of the people : p. 276. viii. For 
grace for all, that the power of sin may be overcome : ib. ix. The Priestly duty 
both of leading in Prayer, and of interceding in time of any calamity, plague, or 
visitation, public or private : p. 277. x. Of praying for all, that they may in- 
crease in the knowledge and faith of Jesus Christ : p. 279. xiii. Of giving thanks 
for all men ; ib. xiv. and in all things : p. 280. xv. Of praying'for the departed, in 
the hope and faith of the resurrection : 281. xvi. The above duties are incumbent 
on Priests in private, as well as in public in the Church ; at all times'as well as 
on Sundays and Holy-Days : p. 282. xvii. The ministering of the Mysteries re- 
quires fervent Prayer, that the Priest may be blameless in it : p. 282. xviii. 
More especially the Service of the Divine Liturgy : p. 283. xix. The Priest is 
bound not only to be earnest in Prayer himself, but also to teach all his people, 
especially the more ignorant, how to pray aright : p. 285, xxii. Of the duty and 
necessity of praying together in the public assemblies of the Churcli : p. 286. xxiv. 
And, when met together, of praying not outwardly only, but also with the spirit ; 
nor, again, with the spirit only, but also with the understanding : p. 287. xxv. 

Conclusion, p. 288. 



mTIlODUCTORY NOTICES 

OF 

CERTAIN MODERN GREEK DOCUMENTS, 

VIZ. 

THE ANSWERS OF THE PATRIARCH JEREMIAH TO THE LUTHERANS. 
TPIE BOOK ENTITLED THE ORTHODOX CONEESSION, AND THE 
XVIII ARTICLES OF THE SYNOD OF BETHLEHEM. 



I. 

OF THE ANSWERS OF THE PATRIARCH JEREMIAH 
TO THE LUTHERANS. 

The Answers of the Patriarch Jeremiah to the Lutherans 
are the earliest of those modern doctrinal writings which 
are held to be of authority in the Eastern Church. They 
stand in the same place with regard to the Lutheran Con- 
troversy^ as the Acts and xviii Articles of the Synod of 
Bethlehem do to the Calvinistic. They are free_, even in the 
minutest details, from all suspicion of Latin influence, which 
is more than can be said of every word and sentence in the 
above-mentioned Acts and Articles, or even in the Orthodox 
Confession. They breathe throughout the genuine and 
natural spirit of the Eastern Church ; and, besides the 
weight of public opinion in their favour, they have the 
express testimony of those very Synods of Jassy and Beth- 
lehem, by which the later documents of the Orthodox Con- 
fession and the Eighteen Articles were approved. These 
Ans^c'^s may indeed, perhaps, have been sent from Con- 
stantinople into Russia; and they are at any rate known 
to the Russian Clergy from the Acts of the Correspondence 
published at Wittemberg in Germany, A.D. 1584, and from 
the later publication of Gideon of Cyprus ; but still, con- 



XVI 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICES OF 



sideriug their iutrinsic weight and vahie^ it is much to be 
regretted that they should never vet have been pubhshed 
entire in any Russian or Slavonic Yersion_, nor put forward 
by the Russian Synod in the same prominent manner with 
those later documents of the Orthodox Confession and 
the XVIII Articles^ to which they are in no respect inferior. 
The i^nswers of the Patriarch Jeremiah ought assuredly 
to be of some interest to the Russian Churchy inasmuch as 
it was by his means that she was first exalted so as to have 
Patriarchs of her own : and the Synod^ as now standing in 
the place of the Patriarchs of all Russia, is the more bound 
to shew honour to his memory. 

II. 

OF THE BOOK ENTITLED AN ORTHODOX CONFESSION OF 
THE FAITH OF THE CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH 
OF THE EAST. 

[Translated and abridged from an Essay read at one of the Public Meetings of 
the Spiritual Academy in the Lavra of St. Alexander Nefsk)-, at St. Peters- 
burgh, Jan. 2-5, 1804, by A. Bolchofsky, Candidate of Theology.] 

The earliest and simplest expression of that life-giving • 
doctrine, which was once for all delivered to the Church, to 
be handed down by her traditionary teaching to the end of 
time, was the Formula of our baptismal faith, that is, the 
Apostolic Creed, with those additions which were inserted in 
it by the Councils as safeguards against heres3^ A second 
form into which Orthodoxy in self-defence cast itself, as well 
to fix and deepen the attachment of believers, as to counter- 
act the artifices of heretics, was that of Doxohgies and Hymns, 
which were found to have great effect in those controversies, 
which led to the expansion and final settlement of the Creed, 
and were still more multiplied afterwards. Dogmatical 
treatises. Catechisms, and Expositions, such as still remain to 
us in the writings of various Fathers, were all originally 
based upon the Creed, which they served to develop, illus- 
trate, and enforce. Already, in the third centmy, we see 
the beginning of this kind of writing in the Exposition of the 
Faith by St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, and in Origen^s book^ 
On the Principles, which however are not free from errors. 



CERTAIN MODERN GREEK DOCUMENTS. Xvii 

In the fourth century we have the Catechetical Lectures of 
St. Cyril of Jerusalem. In the fifth century St. Augustine 
much more fully, though still compendiously, brought together 
all that is fundamental in theology in his Manual, (a trans- 
lation of which in the Eussian language was printed at Mos- 
cow in the year 1783;) and in the eighth century St. John 
Damascene for the first time put the whole into a scientific 
and systematic form with great accuracy and learning, in 
his treatise On the Orthodox Faith, (also printed in Russ in 
1774.) And these books were afterwards closely held to 
and followed by nearly all who wrote on doctrinal theology, 
down to the separation of the Western Church from the 
Eastern. 

Since the time of St. John Damascene, whatever may have 
been done in the West, either in the great body of the Latin 
Church, or in any of those fractions into which it has been 
divided by more recent schism, the Eastern Church has had 
no need to promulgate any new Creeds or symbolical books. 
Eor though it be true that Gennadius, otherwise called 
George Scholarius, Patriarch of Constantinople, in the 
fifteenth century wrote two Confessions, which together are 
sometimes spoken of as a symbolical book% still these were 
written not for any want of them in the Church herself, but 
in answer to the enquiries of the Turkish Sultan Mahmoud II. 
They may be found printed in Greek and Latin in the work 
of Martin Crusius entitled Turco-Grsecia 1. ii. p. 117. Other 
Confessions, which however are of no public authority, are 
mentioned by Buddeus and Kcecher. 

The Russian Church in common with the rest of the 
Eastern found no need down to the seventeenth century to 
have any special doctrinal standards of her own, but was 
content to refer for her faith to the writings of the ancient 
Fathers, and especially to the treatise of St. John Damascene, 
which was very early translated into Russ, and printed for 
the first time in that language at Moscow in 1665. But in 

^ This is the more remarkable, because in these two Confessions Gennadius 
distinctly uses the Latin mode of speech on the Procession of the Holy Ghost, 
and makes it to harmonize with the Greek. 

b 



XVlll 



INTRODUCTORY NOTICES OF 



the seventeentli century some tares sown by strangers occa- 
sioned the production of a fresh class of doctrinal writings. 
The first move was made by Laurentius Zizanias^ a Protopope 
in Lithuania, who in order to supply the Orthodox of that 
Province with a safeguard against error, drew up a Full 
Catechism, which he submitted for revision to Philaret then 
Patriarch of Moscow. The Patriarch after having corrected 
it to his mind, caused it to be printed at Moscow in the year 
1627. After this, in 1645, Peter Mogila, Metropolitan of 
KiefF, in order to refute certain Latin Calumnies, put forth, 
first in Pohsh, and afterward in the dialect of Little Russia, 
a Short Catechism ; a translation of which in Russ, or rather 
Slavonic, with some alterations in accordance with the 
opinions then prevalent, as well as additions and corrections, 
was printed at Moscow in 1 648 by command of the Patriarch 
Joseph. In the same year there was published at Moscow 
for the vindication of Russian Orthodoxy, more particularly 
against the Uniats, a book entitled On the Faith. But none 
of these books are held to be of any strict authority in the 
Church, because in spite of all the zeal and care employed 
in their composition, many unseemly and erroneous opinions 
were to be found in them. Peter Mogila was sensible of this, 
but was unable alone to stem the tide of false opinion then 
universally prevalent, and therefore determined to draw up 
such an exposition of the faith, as might be approved and con- 
firmed by the Eastern Patriarchs, and so serve for an immu- 
table standard of doctrine. This he did accordingly; and it 
is to him that we are indebted for the book, which in its pre- 
sent form is known by the name of the Orthodox Confession. 

Peter Mogila belonged by birth to the family of the Princes 
of Moldavia, and before he became an ecclesiastic had dis- 
tinguished himself as a soldier. After having embraced the 
monastic life, be became first Archimandrite of the Pecher- 
skay, and subsequently, in 1632, Metropolitan of Kieff, to 
which dignity he was ordained by authority of Cyril Lucar, 
with the title of Eparch or Exarch of the Patriarchal See. He 
sat about fifteen years; and died in 1647. Besides the Or- 
thodox Confession, he put out, in 1645, in the dialect of Little 



CERTAIN MODERN GREEK DOCUMENTS. xix 

Russia^ his Short Catechism ; composed a Preface prefixed to 
the Patericon; corrected, in 1646, from Greek and Slavonic 
MSS the Trebnik or Office-book, and added to each Office 
doctrinal, casuistical, and ceremonial instructions. He also 
caused translations to be made from the Greek Lives of the 
Saints by Metaphrastus ; though this work remained un- 
finished at his death. And lastly, he composed a Short 
Russian Chronicle, which is preserved in MS., but has 
never yet been printed. He was the founder of the first 
Russian Academy at KieflP. 

Nectarius, Patriarch of Constantinople, in his Prefatory 
Epistle, has given a detailed account of the circumstances 
under which the Orthodox Confession was composed. Most 
Western writers, as Buddeus, Pfaffius, Weissman, Hoffman, 
&c., misunderstanding the words of the Patriarch, say that the 
book was composed expressly against Cyril Lucar, who in 
1629 had put forth a Calvinistical Confession in the name of 
the Greek or Eastern Church, and had been in consequence 
deposed and condemned. Perhaps also they thought their 
view confirmed by the fact, that Cyril Lucar had been about 
the end of the sixteenth century Rector and Greek teacher in 
the Russian Seminary at Ostrog in Volhynia. And besides, the 
affair of Cyril Lucar engrossed much attention during the 
latter half of the seventeenth century, and many questions 
were raised and Synods held about him in consequence of 
the fierce struggle between the Calvinists and the Papists, 
the former of whom sought to strengthen their cause by 
making out that the Eastern Church was on their side, while 
the latter, from hatred to Cyril Lucar, witli one voice re- 
echoed their assertions that he was really in belief a Calvinist. 
Many of the Greeks themselves thought the same : and at 
length the matter was brought to that pass, that Cyril Lucar 
was condemned and cast out as an heretic ; and not only so, 
but after his death also his memory was anathematized by a 
Synod held in 1638 at Constantinople, under Cyril of Berrhoea 
his successor. But later Synods shewed more caution, and 
contented themselves with condemning the Confession and 
its author, without allowing that it had been justly imputed 



XX 



IJ^TRODUCTORY NOTICES OF 



to Cyril Lucar. This was the course taken by the Synod 
held under Parthenius at Constantinople in 1642, at which 
Peter Mogila with five other Bishops from Little Russia 
assisted, and subscribed after the Patriarch. And again, in 
the Synod which was held the following year, 1643, at Jassy 
in Moldavia, and to which Mogila' s book was sent and sub- 
mitted for revision, it was only Calvinism that was con- 
demned, not the person of Cyril Lucar. The Acts of this 
Synod were subscribed by the three Legates, whom Peter 
had sent as his Representatives from KiefP. Lastly, the Synod 
of Bethlehem or Jerusalem, in 1672, plainly asserted that the 
Confession attributed to Cyril Lucar had been fraudulently 
put out by the heretics in his name, and quoted passages to 
refute it from CyriFs own writings, giving this as the true 
reason of his condemnation, that though he disavowed on 
oath being the author, he had refused to write against it 
as the Clergy of Constantinople desired. From all this it 
seems highly improbable that Peter Mogila should have 
intended his work against Lucar, when even the Eastern 
Patriarchs his cotemporaries were inclined rather to justify 
that Patriarch than to accuse him. And in the Orthodox 
Confession there is not one word of Cyril, nor of the 
Calvinists; though no doubt both the Calvinistic, and the 
Popish, and all other errors are alike rejected in it, without 
being named. Nor do the Acts of the Sj^nod of Jerusalem 
give any hint of their having been composed against Cyril. 

On the other hand, Adrian, Patriarch of Moscow, in his 
Preface, gives the true account ; namely, that the Orthodox 
Confession was composed against those heretics, with whom 
the Russian Church found herself actually in contact. And 
so far as Protestants are concerned, it would be more true to 
say that Mogila had in view the Lutherans, than the Cal- 
vinists; seeing that the disciples of Luther at Stockholm 
and elsewhere nearer the borders of Russia, had about that 
time made some attempts to introduce their doctrines into 
Russia. But Peter Mogila himself, in the preface to his 
Short Catechism, and in that to the Trebnik, gives us this 
as the truest and most immediate reason, that the " enemies 



CERTAIN MODERN GREEK DOCUMENTS. XXl 

of orthodoxy/^ tliat is^ the Latins^ " had comjoosed and printed 
" in the Polish language certain railings against our orthodox 
"Church, giving out every where that the Russian Clergy 
" were so ignorant, that they knew not either their own faith 
" or their own ceremonies/^ Besides this, the same Latins, 
and particularly the Uniats, had begun to publish in the 
Polish and Russian languages a number of books, which, pre- 
tending to be Orthodox, caused much scandal to the Russians. 
Even into the Russian Church-Books printed at Kieff' there 
had crept from the Books of the Latin Church many novelties 
and interpolations : and it is well known what a fierce con- 
troversy raged somewhat later, about 1680, even in Moscow 
itself concerning the time of the change of the Elements in 
the holy Eucharist ; a controversy excited by a book printed 
at Kieff in 1668, in which the opinion of the Roman Churcli 
on that point liad been laid down as orthodox, and had given 
offence to many. This put the Patriarch Adrian upon asking 
the judgment of the Eastern Patriarchs his brethren ; and at 
length, for the final settlement of tlie dispute, he published a 
collection of extracts from the orthodox Doctors and Fathers 
of the Church. And thus we may conclude that Peter Mogila 
also in like manner composed his Confession more against 
the Papists, than either the Lutherans or the Calvinists ; in- 
asmuch as he had far more reason to apprehend danger from 
them, than from either of the two last-named sects. In the 
preface to his Short Catechism of 1645 he promises to give 
soon another of greater length, with proofs of doctrine from 
the Holy Scripture, the Councils, and the Fathers. 

The Patriarch Nectarius, in his Preface, relates that Peter 
Mogila, in the first instance, called togetlier his three suf- 
fragan Bishops of Chernigoff, Perej^aslaff, and Mogileff, and 
afterwards many other learned and judicious men, to his 
Metropolitan residence ; after which he sent and submitted 
his book to the Church and Synod of Constantinople, under 
the title of an Exposition of the Faith of the Russians, to be 
adopted or rejected, as that Church should deem proper. The 
Patriarchal Synod at Constantinople appointed that it shoukl 
be revised in the Synod then about to be held at Jassy in 



xxn 



TXTRODUCTORY NOTICES OF 



Moldavia; and sent word to Peter Mogila, tliat tlieir own 
Commissioners and Exarclis miglit be met at the Synod by 
others in his name. The Synod itself, however, was not con- 
voked expressly for this affair, but met in accordance with the 
desire and upon the request of the Prince John Vassilievich, 
Hospodar and Voivode of Moldavia: for he finding much 
scandal and confusion to be caused in his Provinces by the 
Cah-inists, and especially by the Calvinistic Confessions then 
every where circulated under the name of Cyril Lucar, had 
requested Parthenius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, and 
Peter Mogila, Metropolitan of Kieff, to assemble a Synod 
against the Calvinistic heresy at Jassy. 

The Patriarch accordingly, in 1643, sent thither Porphyry 
Metropolitan of Nice, and Meletius Syrigus, a Priest-Monk, 
w^ho held the rank of Preacher and Doctor of the Great 
Church j while Peter, on his part, sent two Priors and a 
Preacher. Parthenius sent as from himself and his Synod 
at Constantinople a synodal letter, containing an orthodox 
Confession drawn up under eighteen heads against the Cal- 
vinists, with Answers to four Questions appended. This the 
Fathers assembled at Jassy thought it enough merety to 
subscribe; and then proceeded to the revision of Mogila's 
book, which, after many discussions and explanations, they 
also synodically approved. It deserves special notice, and 
may well excite our astonishment, that the Synod, as Nec- 
tarius says, found still many unorthodox opinions in Mogila^s 
book, and purged it from all strange ideas and intermix- 
ture of novelties. (See Harduin, Acta Concil. vol. xii. p. 178. 
et seq. and p. 282. et seq.) In such an unhappy state was 
the Church of Little Russia at that time; and so difficult 
was it, even for that great and enlightened Pastor, openly, and 
of himself alone, to withstand the universally erroneous opi- 
nions of his cotemporaries. The book as corrected at Jassy 
was sent by the Synod in 1643 to the four Patriarchs, who 
approved of it, and confirmed it by their own signatures, and 
those of the chief of their clergy. 

As some question has been raised concerning its proper 
title, it may be worth while to mention that it is given in the 



CERTAIN MODERN GREEK DOCUMENTS. XXlil 

Russian edition us an Orthodox Confession of the Faith of the 
Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East ; because^ as the 
Patriarch Adrian of Moscow says, Peter Mogila himself so 
named it. Nectarius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, tells us, that 
the Synod of KiefF had called it in the first instance an Ex- 
position of the Faith of the Russians ; whereas afterwards the 
(Ecumenical Patriarchs called it an Exposition of the Catholic 
and Apostolic Faith for all Orthodox Christians throughout the 
luorld. We learn from the preface of the Patriarch Adrian 
that many called it simply The Catechism : and Leonard Frisch 
published it in German under this title of The Long Rus- 
sian Catechism/' and so misled Gottlob Hoffman; for the title 
of The Long or Fidl Catechism had long before been appro- 
priated in Russia exclusively to the Catechism of Zizanias, 
which was put forth in 1627 under the name of Dialogues, 

With respect to the language, in which the Orthodox Con- 
fession was originally composed, it maj^ be noticed that the 
Patriarch Adrian informs us that the common Slavonic text 
is only a translation from the Greek. In what language 
Mogila first drew it up seems uncertain. Du Fresne saj^s, 
in Russ, and that Panagiotti, first dragoman to the Porte, 
translated it into Greek ; which seems to be borne out by the 
Letter of the Patriarch Nectarius, written in 1662, and pre- 
fixed to Panagiotti^s edition. But the Patriarch Parthenius, 
in 1643, in his Letter of Confirmation says, that it had been 
submitted to him for his approval in Greek and Latin, and 
that he had confirmed only the Greek. Hoffman from hence 
concluded at first that Peter Mogila drew it up in Greek and 
Latin, and caused it to be translated and printed as soon as 
it had been approved ; but afterwards, reflecting that if this 
had been so, there would have been no need of making a fresh 
translation under Adrian, he retracted his former assertion ; 
and so has left the question in doubt. We may conjecture 
that Nectarius mistook as to the first edition in Russ, and 
had in his mind either the Short Catechism of 1645, printed 
in the dialects of Poland and Little Russia, or else that 
printed in 1648 under the Patriarch Joseph at Moscow. 
Peter Mogila no doubt composed it purposely in Greek and 



Xxiv INTRODUCTORY NOTICES OF 

Latin, and so it remained till the edition of Adrian, Mogila 
having been prevented by death from translating it himself. 
Besides this, we should remember that the state of opinion 
then prevalent amongst his cotemporaries in Little Russia 
was unfavourable to its publication. 

The first edition of the Orthodox Confession was that of 
Panagiotti, published in 1662 at Amsterdam with a Preface 
by Nectarius, and erroneously said by Nectarius himself to be 

in the Hellenic and the Latin languages/^ The Latin trans- 
lation, as Arnaud says, was sent together with his own Greek 
MS. by Panagiotti as a present to Louis XIV. ; and both are 
still preserved in the Royal Library at Paris. The same 
writer Arnaud quotes a letter from M. Olivier de Nointel, 
French Ambassador at the Porte in 1670, from whence it 
appears that the States of Holland made Panagiotti a present 
of the expense of printing his edition. Hoffman mentions a 
second edition, also brought out in Holland, in 1672, by order 
of Dionysius, Patriarch of Constantinople ; but Albert Fabri- 
cius and Francis Buddeus do not mention it. Laurentius 
Nermann, who was first Professor at Upsala, and afterwards 
Bishop of Gothenberg, translated it into Latin, and published 
his version together with the Greek of Panagiotti at Leipsic, 
in 1695. He printed from a copy of Panagiotti^s text, which 
had been corrected by the Brothers Lichoudi with their own 
hands, and inserted all their emendations in the text as 
various readings. Berg saw the original MS. copy of tins 
corrected text in the possession of his friend Sparvenfield, 
who also lent it to Normann. It was written in parallel 
columns with another translation of the same document in 
Slavonic. How it has found its way from IMoscow is un- 
known. Of the two brothers, Joannicius Lichoudi died in 
1701 ; Sophronius, who survived him, was the fellow labourer 
of Theophylact Lapoutinsky in revising the text of the Sla- 
vonic Bible. These two brothers were both of them much per- 
secuted by the Latinizing party for their zeal in maintaining 
the Greek doctrine respecting the time at which the Ele- 
ments are changed in the Eucharist. But to return to our 
subject ; Paul Gottlob Hoffman also printed all the versions 



CERTAIN MODERN GREEK DOCUMENTS. XXV 

which we have mentioned above with his History of the 
Russian Catechism, as he named it^ and the corrections and 
various readings of the Lichoudi. An edition was called for 
at Moscow in 1685 ; bnt it was not till 1696^ that the Orthodox 
Confession was translated and published there by the Pa- 
triarch Adrian, and then not really from the Hellenic, as it 
professes to be, but evidently fi'om the modern Greek of 
Panagiotti; an additional sign of which is, that it retains the 
Preface of Nectarius. Panagiotti^ s text having been referred 
to by the Synod of Jerusalem in 1672, may be considered 
authorized. The Moscow edition in Slavonic also gives all 
the chief corrections of the Lichoudi. 

If it be asked how much weight is to be attached to the 
Orthodox Confession, we answer, that besides all that we 
have related above of the care taken originally in its compo- 
sition and revision, and of its approval both by the Sj^nod of 
Jassy, and by the four Eastern Patriarchs, it received after- 
wards the testimonies of Nectarius, Patriarch of Constan- 
tinople, whose Preface is prefixed to the edition of Panagiotti, 
published in 1662 ; and of Dositheus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, 
with his Synod held at Sethlehem in 1672; also at the same 
time of Dionysius, Patrip^rch of Constantinople; again, in 
1691, that of a Synod held at Constantinople; and lastly, in 
1696, that of Adrian, Patriarch of Moscow. 

It is acknowledged by the Spiritual Regulation subscribed 
by the Bishops and Clergy of Russia in the year 1720 ; and 
all Russian Theologians since have rested very much on this 
book. 

III. 

OF THE XVIII ARTICLES OF THE SYNOD OF BETHLEHEM. 

The XVI IT Articles of the Synod of Bethlehem seem to 
have been formally communicated to the Russian Church 
for the first time in 1721, when they were sent by the 
Eastern Patriarchs through the Russian Synod to certain 
British Bishops, with whom they had been some time 
before in correspondence. The Eastern Patriarchs sent the 
Book of the xviii Articles as their Ultimatum, to be re- 



xxvi INTRODUCTORY NOTICES OF 

ceived without further question or conference,, in details^ no 
less than in substance, by all who would obtain their com- 
munion. But the Russian Synod, in transmitting it, held a 
somewhat different tone and language ; as will appear from 
the following Letters. 

No. I. 

The Most Holy Governing Synod of the Russian Church to 
the Most Reverend the Bishops of the remnant of the Catholic 
Church in Great Britain our Brethren most beloved in the 
Lord, wishing health ; 

Your Letters written to us the thirtieth of May in the last 
year we have received; from which, more than ever, being 
assured that you have at heart above all things, and seek, and 
desire peace and concord with the Eastern Church, we have 
conceived great joy in the Spirit : and we give glory to 
Christ our Saviour, Who is our Peace, for that He by moving 
you to these endeavours has confirmed our faith in His pro- 
mise : for in truth this your desire of concord is a proof 
that He is ever graciously present, according to His promise, 
with His Church. We also give you great thanks that you 
have not thought it unworthy of you to express your good 
will towards our Synod in terms of the greatest veneration, 
and have esteemed it worth your while to write to us of 
these matters. Your Answers, which yow. have returned to 
the writings of the Most Holy Patriarchs in the Greek 
tongue, we have sent to those Prelates : the other copy in 
Latin we have kept here, and have under our consideration. 
And as we make no doubt that these desires of yours spring 
from no earthly root, but are of an heavenly seed from above, 
we faithfully promise our best assistance to further this your 
so holy a negotiation ; nay, rather our own ; for it is ours 
also. And now, to come to the point, we have acquainted 
His Imperial Majesty, our Most Gracious Lord, with your 
proceedings, as you had desired we should, and as we also 
thought it our duty to do. Our Most Potent Lord received 
the information most favourably .... What his opinion is 
concerning this affair we will with all plainness tell you. He 



CERTAIN MODERN GREEK DOCUMENTS. XXVll 

thinks it fit, that you should send two persons from among 
yourselves to have a friendly conference^ in the name and spirit 
of Christ, with two that shall be chosen out of our brethren. 
Hereby the opinions, arguments, and persuasions of each 
party may be more sincerely produced, and more clearly 
understood ; and it may be more easily known what may be 
yielded and given up by one to the other ; what, on the other 
hand, may and ought for conscience sake to be absolutely 
denied. In the mean time no prejudice will befall either 
your Communion or ours from such a private conference, 
nor the hope of future union be lost or compromised. This 
is the opinion of our Monarch concerning the most holy 
negotiation ; and it seems to us the best that can be given. 
We now desire that, as soon as may be, you will let us know 
how you regard it. In the mean time let it be our business 
on both sides earnestly to entreat God to be merciful unto us 
all, and to prosper our undertaking. Farewell most beloved 
Brethren. Your Brethren most bounden to your Charity in 
Christ, &c. [Here follow the signatures.] 

Moscow, 1723, the Month of February. 

No. II. 

The Most Holy Governing Synod of the Church throughout 
all the Russias to the Most Reverend the Bishops of the rem- 
nant of the Catholic Church in Great Britain our Brethren 
most beloved in the Lord, wishing health ; 

A year is now past since we delivered Letters [the Letter 
given above, No. i.] to the Reverend Father, the Proto- 
syncellus, to be carried to you : but certain impediments have 
delayed his journey to England even to the present time. 

We acquainted you by those Letters how well pleased the 
Most Potent Emperor of all the Russias, our Gracious Sove- 
reign, was to be further assured of your pious desire for the 
peace of the Churches, and what advice he gave concerning 
the best method to bring this holy endeavour to good effect. 
And now, inasmuch as he still continues in the same mind, 
we send the very same Letters together with these present ; 
and we request you to pardon this delay, rather for the sake 



XXviii INTRODUCTORY NOTICES^ &C. 

of your own goodness, than for any other excuse that might 
be made. We also send you a writing of the Greek Prelates, 
[viz. a copy of the xviii Articles of the Synod of Bethlehem, 
with a Letter declining further conference,] which we have 
received from Constantinople during the interval, while the 
Father Protosyncellus was preparing for his journey, being 
desired by a Letter from them to transmit it to you. In the 
mean time we desire your charity to know that if, in ac- 
cordance with the advice of our Sovereign, you will send two 
of your Brethren to a conference, which we again entreat you 
to do, we may hope to bring our wishes to a more easy con- 
clusion : which that at length He, even the Lawgiver of love, 
the God of peace, the Father of mercies, may prosper, is our 
hearty desire and prayer. Farewell most beloved Brethren. 
The most fervent Brethren of your charity, &c. [Then 
follow the signatures.] 

And together with the two preceding Letters the xviii 
Articles of the Synod of Bethlehem were sent to Britain. 

Recently, in the year 1838, after the lapse of more than a 
century, the same xviii Articles have been published in a 
Russian version by the Synod at St. Petersburgh, together 
with the Letters of Peter the First and the Eastern Patri- 
archs upon the Institution of the Synod. The title of this 
Publication is as follows : Imperial and Patriarchal Letters on 
the Institution of the Most Holy Synod, ivith an Exposition of 
the Orthodox Belief of the Catholic Church of the East. In 
this Russian Version of the Articles the Synod (as has been 
said above in the Preface) has by no means thought itself 
bound to adhere to every word and letter of the Greek ; but 
has made some qualifications and omissions of considerable 
importance, though of course not affecting the substance of 
that doctrine, which is set forth in the original. 



THE 

RUSSIAN PRIMER, 

FOR 

TEACHING CHILDREN TO READ 



THE 

ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIYIL CHARACTERS. 



SEVENTH EDITION. 



MOSCOW, 
AT THE SYNODAL PRESS. 

MDCCCXXV. 



" GOD GIVE EAR UNTO ME, HELP MF, AND 
GIVE ME UNDEBSTANDING, THAT I MAY LEARN." 



After the Ecclesiastical, Civil, and Written Alphabets, Tables of 
Syllables and Words, and of the Abbreviations and Accents used 
with the Slavonic character, all which are here omitted, the second 
Section of the Primer proceeds as follows, in the Ecclesiastical cha- 
racter and idiom : 



THE 

RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



DAILY PRAYERS. 
In the name of the Father, the Son_, and the Holy Ghost, daily 

. PRAYERS 
Amen. 

Glory be to Thee, O our God, glory be to Thee. 

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who 
art every where and fillest all things, the treasure of blessings 
and giver of life, come to us and make Thine abode in us, 
cleanse us from all impurity, and save our souls of Thy 
goodness. 

O Holy God, O Holy God Almighty, O Holy God Immortal, 
have mercy upon us. 

O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy upon us : O God, cleanse 
us from our sins : Forgive us our offences, O Lord : Visit us, 
O God, and help our infirmities for Thy Name^s sake. 

Oui' Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name. 
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in 
heaven. Give us this day bread for our subsistence. And 
forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive them that trespass 
against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver 
us from evil. 

To the Mother of God. 

Hail Mary, Virgin Mother of God, full of grace, the Lord 
is with thee : blessed art thou among women, and blessed is 
the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Saviour of 
our souls. 

B .2 



4 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



On msing from sleep. 
DAILY O Lord^ I thank Thee with my whole heart that Thou hast 
raised me up from sleep safe and sonnd, that Thou hast scat- 
tered the darkness of night, and gladdened mine eyes with the 
light of this day. And now, O Lord, I believe in Thee with 
my whole heart; scatter, I pray Thee, the darkness of my 
ignorance, and of my passions, and lighten my mind and my 
will with Thy almighty grace. Grant me to do cheerfully 
and zealously every work which Thou hast appointed for me, 
and reverently to search out the wonders hidden in Thy holy 
law, ever calling with boldness upon Thy holy Name. 

On going to rest. 
Almighty God, Who hast vouchsafed of Thy providence to 
bring me to this present hour of night ; I give Thee hearty 
thanks for all the blessings that I have this day received at 
Thy hand, praying Thee to accept my contrition for all that 
I have done amiss. And now that I am going to my rest, 
keep me, I beseech Thee, under the shadow of Thy wings, and 
make me withal to remember that everlasting rest which 
Thou hast prepared for them that love Thee ; among whom 
place me also, O Lord. 

Before Dinner. 

The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord, and Thou givest 
them their meat in due season : Thou openest Thy hand, and 
fillest all things living with good. 

After Dinner. 

I thank Thee, O Christ my God, that Thou hast fed me with 
Thy earthly good things : let it not be with these only, I 
beseech Thee, but bring me also to Thy heavenly kingdom. 

The Creed, or Symbol of Faith. 
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of 
heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible : 
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, 
begotten of the Father before all worlds. Light of light, 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



5 



Very God of very God, begotten, not made, of one substance moral 

with the Father; by Whom all things were made, Who for 

us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, And 
was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And 
was made man. And was crucified also for us under Pontius 
Pilate, And suffered. And was buried. And rose again the 
third day according to the Scriptures, And ascended into 
Heaven, And sitteth at the right hand of the Father, And 
shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the 
dead ; Whose kingdom shall have no end : And I believe in 
the Holy Ghost, the Lord the Giver of Life, Who proceedeth 
from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is 
worshipped and glorified. Who spake by the Prophets : I believe 
one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church : I acknowledge one 
Baptism for the remission of sins : I look for the Resurrection 
of the dead; And the life of the world to come. Amen. 



SHORT MORAL PRECEPTS. 

My good child, remember always that God looks not only to 
our actions, but also to our inmost thoughts and intentions. 

He gave thee life and preserves it, and whatever happiness 
thou hast in it, it is all from Him. 

Therefore, ever thank Him for all His goodness to thee; 
love Him with all thy heart ; obey Him in all things, and call 
upon Him to help thee in every thing thou doest. 

Honour thy Sovereign as the power ordained by God, and 
be subject to him in all things. 

Honour thy Spiritual Pastors, thy Father and Mother, thine 
Elders, and all good people, and follow them in all that they 
direct for thy good. 

Ever bear in mind, that thou hast been born into the world 
for this end, to do good to thyself and to all others, as far as 
possible, on all occasions. 

Love not only thy neighbours and friends, but also thy 
very enemies ; by so doing, thou may est win and correct them, 
and make them good people. 



6 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



Have no strife nor enmity with any body, and even though 
any injure thee, bear it patiently; for this is true greatness. 

Be merciful even to the beast, which God hath given man 
for his service. 

Abstain not only from bad actions, but also from improper 
words, which hurt the ear. 

Covet nothing which lielongs to another ; still less steal or 
take away: but be content with what thou hast of thine own. 

If thou art poor, and canst not earn any thing by work, beg ; 
and when any one gives, receive it thankfully. 

Do not desire to have every thing thou seest. 

Be diligent, and flee idleness. Diligence is pleasing to God, 
and very much for thine own interest ; but idleness, on the 
contrary, is the source of all manner of evil, and a sin altoge- 
ther hateful to God. 

Never lie, but always speak truth; for lying, or deceit of 
whatever kind, is the most mischievous of vices. If thou liest 
even once, people will not believe thee afterwards. 

Do not say all thou knowest, but at fit time and occasion. 

What thou knowest not, neither affirm positively, nor deny. 

When any one older than thyself speaks, listen in silence. 

When thou thinkest to speak, consider first of what thou 
art going to speak. ^ 

Be gentle and not forward, silent rather than talkative. 

Be not proud ; be civil to every body, kind to thine infe- 
riors, charitable to the poor. 

If thou ever ofFendest any one, make it up immediately. 

If thou art kind to others, others will be kind to thee. 

Envy none, but wish well to all. 

Be obliging, and try to please all good people. 

Be obedient and attentive to thy Governors, Masters, and 
Teachers. 

Be not angry with any, least of all with thine Elders. 

Never make game of old or poor people. 

Care not for fine clothes; but rather observe a becom- 
ing neatness and cleanliness in every thing. Rich or fine 
clothes do not make a fool wise, but only the more ridiculous. 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 7 

Do thy best to acquire a habit of observing these rules while A brief 

thou art young, that thou mayest continue the same even to age. — '- 

And if thou doest all this, then thou wilt be really happy, and 
in favour with God and men. 



A BRIEF CATECHISM. 

Q. Why dost thou call thyself a Christian ? 

A. Because I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and follow 
His holy law. 

Q. What does the Christian faith teach ? 

A. li teaches all truth and all virtue, as is to be found at 
length in the books of the Prophets and Apostles. The same, 
to help my memory, has been briefly comprised in the Symbol 
of our Orthodox Faith, which I have by heart, and on proper 
occasions repeat thus, " I believe in one God, &c." 

Q. Of what does this Symbol or Creed first put thee in 
mind? 

A. Of God; that He made me, and all the world; and 
governs and preserves me, and all the world : and therefore 
my conscience continually reminds me that I ought to love 
Him with all my heart, worship Him in sincerity, and believe 
that then only can I think or act well, when I think and act 
as His holy law commands. 

Q. How thinkest or conceivest thou of God ? 

A. I think, conceive, and believe, that God is One, and that 
beside Him there is none other ; that He is from everlasting, 
without either beginning or end ; that He is a Spirit, incor- 
poreal, and immortal, just and merciful; that He is present 
every where ; that He sees and hears and knows all things, 
even our inmost thoughts and intentions. 

Q. Is it enough to have this knowledge and conception of 
God, and then do as thou pleasest ? 

A. By no means : as I have this knowledge of God, so 
should I also live agreeably thereto : for instance ; if I know 
that God is just, I should fear to do evil, lest I fall under 



8 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



A BRIEF His just judgment, and lose the blessings of His mercy and 

^ goodness ; if I know that God is merciful, I ought to repent 

me of all that I have done amiss, in the hope that He will not 
reject my repentance ; if He is omnipresent, and omniscient, I 
ought neither to do nor even think any evil, but strive to serve 
Him always with a pure conscience and blameless thoughts. 

Q. What does the Christian Faith teach of our Lord J esus 
Christ? 

A. That He of His mercy to us sinners came down from 
Heaven, took upon Him our flesh, revealed to us His will, 
and enlightened our darkened understanding with the true 
knowledge of God ; and finally, in proof of His great love for 
us, and for the cleansing of our sins, died upon the Cross ; 
but rose again on the third day, and ascended with His flesh 
into heaven. 

Q. What availeth this doctrine of the Christian Faith for 
thy better life ? 

A. It supplies the strongest possible motives to the love of 
God. For if God so loved me that He was pleased to sufi*er 
in human flesh all manner of sufi'erings and to die for my 
sake, I should be the most ungrateful of all creatures if I did 
not strive to love Plim always with my whole heart, and set 
the love of Him before all things : also in this Faith I have 
the greatest comfort, inasmuch as it gives me a sure hope of 
receiving from God every thing that is good for me. If He 
spared not His own Son for my sake, how much more will He 
for His sake give me all besides ? 

Q. What benefit dost thou receive by Holy Baptism ? 

A. 1 receive remission of sins, and am added to the com- 
pany of Christ^s people : at the same time, I promise before 
God and before His Church, to live henceforth a clean and sin- 
less life, even as I came up clean and sinless from the water. 

Q. Why dost thou receive the Communion ? 

A. That thereby I may receive Christ Himself, and renewal 
of strength and grace to live a holy and Christian life : also 
for the comfort and edification of all other Christians my 
brethren, that they seeing me approach the Altar with them, 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



9 



may know that I am still a member of the Church, and that A brief 

CATEC 

I desire to remain ever with them in love and unity. - 

Q. Why oughtest thou to Confess ? 

A, In order to offer to God contrition for my sins, with 
purpose of amendment for the future ; and so upon this my 
contrition to receive of God^s mercy Absolution through my 
ghostly father. 

Q. What general rule oughtest thou to follow in matters 
of Christian discipline and order ? 

A. I ought to do in all things as is commanded or shall be 
commanded by my holy Mother the Church; and for this 
cause I will daily pray unto God that I may never fall away 
from her, but constantly flee all schism, strife, and dis- 
sension. 

Q. What dost thou hope to gain by the perfect fulfilment 
of thy Christian duty ? 

A. I hope to gain from God's mercy all blessings both 
temporal and eternal ; that is to say, in this life all manner 
of satisfaction and honour, and in the life to come eternal 
happiness. For I believe that my just Lord will come to 
judge the quick and the dead, and that after that judgment 
neither the happiness of good people nor the torments of the 
bad shall have any end. 

Q. Is Faith alone without good works enough for salvation? 

A. By no means : for Faith without works is dead. 

Q. Where hast thou rules prescribed for good works ? 

A. In the Law of God, which is contained in the following 
Ten Commandments : 

I. I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have none other 
gods but me. 

II. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor 
the likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or in 
earth beneath, or in the water under the earth : thou shalt 
not bow down to them, nor serve them. 

III. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God 
in vain. 

lY. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy : six days 



10 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



A BEIEF shalt thou labour, and do in them all that thou hast to do : 

CATEC 

— but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord thy God. 

V. Honour thy Father and thy Mother, that it may be 
well with thee, and that thy days may be long upon the earth. 

VI. Thou shalt do no murder. 

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VIII. Thou shalt not steal. 

IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, thou shalt 
not covet thy neighbour's house, nor his field, nor his servant, 
nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any other beast, nor 
any thing that is his. 

Q. What dost thou learn from the first Commandment. 

A. I learn to believe with my heart and confess with my 
lips one only God, to love and honour Him only above all 
things, to trust in Him and Him only ; and therefore to flee 
by all means all Atheism, Polytheism, Sorcery, Superstition, 
Heres}'-, and Schism; likewise all pride, which trusts in its 
own inventions, in its own or others' strength or riches, 
without considering the Providence of God. 

Q. How ought we to honour the Saints who have pleased 
God? 

A. Not as God Himself; but as His servants, who enjoy 
His favour and intercede with Him for our salvation; and 
withal we should imitate their lives. 

Q. What doth God forbid in the second Commandment ? 

A. He forbids us to honour graven images or any creature 
whatever as God : He forbids us likewise to be superstitious or 
hypocritical, covetous or lovers of pleasure : for the covetous 
man and the lover of pleasure serves Mammon as his idol. 

Q. Plow ought we to honour the holy Icons. 

A. We ought to honour them, but not make Gods of 
them : for Icons are merely representations, which serve to 
remind us of the works of God and of His servants, to the 
intent that we by looking upon them may be stirred up 
to the imitation of holiness. 

Q. What doth God forbid in the third Commandment ? 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



11 



A. He bids us not to use His Name thoughtlessly^ but A brief 

only in our prayers, or in lawful oaths on necessary occasions, ^ 

and even then with great reverence and caution ; and there- 
fore it is highly sinful to say any thing against God, the 
Faith, or the Holy Church, to perjure oneself, to use God^s 
Name lightly, to ask any thing improper of Him, or to break 
one^s own good and lawful promises. 

Q. What doth God require in the fourth Commandment ? 

A. He requires us on all Sundays and holy days to leave 
off our business and labour, to go to church, to hear and 
read attentively for our spiritual instruction, to teach our 
children and household at home the law of God, and carefully 
to avoid all vice and dissipation, especially drunkenness, which 
is sinful on any day, but above all on these, which are set 
apart to be kept holy. 

Q. What doth God require in the fifth Commandment ? 

A. He commands us to honour and obey our parents, a 
name which includes our Sovereign, our Spiritual Pastors 
and Civil Governors, our Teachers, Benefactors, and Elders ; 
also to love all men even as ourselves. 

Q. What is the duty of Parents and Children ? 

A. Parents ought to bring up their children in the fear of 
God, and teach them His law ; they ought to form them 
from their infancy to habits of industry, economy, and good 
behaviour to other people, keep them from bad company, 
never themselves say or do before them any thing which may 
harm, correct them with mildness rather than severity, and 
root deeply in their minds this truth, that virtue alone 
makes people happy, while vice always leads to ruin. The 
duty of children, on the other hand, is to love, honour, and 
obey their parents, and in time of poverty and age to support 
and comfort them, and so pay the debt of gratitude which 
they owe them. 

Q. What is the duty of Masters and Servants ? 

A. Masters ought to be as fathers to their servants, and 
servants ought to obey their masters, and be industrious, faith- 
ful, and respectful. 



12 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



A BRIEF Q. What is the duty of Husbands and Wives ? 

CATEC 

'— A. The husband ought to love his wife^ and not deal harshly 

with her, but correct her infirmities with a discreet con- 
descension ; and in the management of their common house- 
hold and the education of their children,, he should treat her 
as his most faithful helpmate. The duty of women is to love 
and honour their husbands, to suit their manners to them, 
and even take any wrongs that may be put upon them with 
a meek spirit. The duty of both is to keep their fidelity to 
each other^s bed blameless. 

Q. What is the general duty of every man to all others ? 

A. It is the duty of every man to behave to all others with 
civility, respect, and condescension, to feed the hungry, to 
clothe the naked, to visit the sick, to convert the sinner from 
his sin, to teach the ignorant the law, to give good counsel, 
and to pray to the all-merciful God for the salvation of all. 

Q. What doth God forbid in the sixth Commandment ? 

A. He forbids me to do any man rtij kind of hurt, either 
myself or through others, by deed or thought ; willing me 
rather to do what I can to keep every man from hurt : and 
therefore it is a heinous sin in God^s sight either to kill a 
man, in whatever way it may be, or to aid in compassing his 
death by counsel or deed, or suffer him knowingly to incur 
peril of death or harm : for instance, to know of any evil 
design and not tell, to conceal robbers, to see a fight and not 
interfere, or a fire and not try to put it out, or to refuse assist- 
ance to the poor or sick. The same Commandment also abso- 
lutely forbids men to commit suicide, and teaches them to take 
care of their health as the precious gift of God. 

Q. What doth God forbid in the seventh Commandment ? 

A. He forbids fornication, adultery, and all manner of 
carnal sin and un cleanness, to which man is prompted by 
lust; likewise all that leads to such sins; as drunkenness, 
idleness, filthy talking, dancings, games, immodest songs and 
books ; and so it commands men and women to live in 
chastity and purity. 

Q. What doth God forbid in the eighth Commandment ? 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



13 



A. He forbids me either openly or secretly to take any a brief 

thing from any man, to conceal any thing found, to screen a *- 

runaway or deserter, to feed my beast from another man^s 
manger, hay-rack, or garden, to encroach on land not my 
own, to overreach any man in selling, buying, or exchange, 
to keep back from the labourer his hire, to take usury, espe- 
cially from the poor, to embezzle or secrete the money of the 
Sovereign, the Church, or the poor. And therefore it is my 
duty to flee idleness and be industrious, for by industry I 
may not only keep myself and my household in plenty, but 
may also have wherewithal to relieve the poor. 

Q. What doth God forbid in the ninth Commandment ? 

A. He forbids me to bear false witness, to accuse falsely, 
to calumniate, to throw dishonour or ridicule upon any man, 
to condemn, to put an ill construction on other people^s 
words; in a word. He commands me to abstain from all 
manner of lying and deceit, and this the more as such sins 
are of the father of lies, the devil. 

Q. What doth God forbid in the tenth Commandment ? 

A. He forbids me not only to do any evil, but so much as 
to think of it or desire it in my heart : for from evil thoughts 
it is very easy to pass to evil deeds. 

Q. What needest thou to enable thee to keep these Com- 
mandments ? 

A. The assistance of God^s grace, which, like every good 
thing, is to be obtained by hearty prayer. And prayer is the 
lifting up of our minds and hearts to God, to seek from Him 
those good things which are necessary and profitable for our 
souls. 



14 



THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



SACRED After the Catechism there follows A Short Sacred History 
3IST0RY. ^^^^ Creation of tlie World to the Day of Pentecost, divided 
into twenty Reading lessons, about twice as long as the 
Catechism, and in the Civil character: and lastly, there is 
appended to the whole a Table of the Ecclesiastical, Civil, and 
Roman Numerals, and a Multiplication Table : all which are 
here omitted. 



THE END OF THE RUSSIAN PRIMER. 



Another Primer printed at the Synodal Press m 1819, For 
men Desirous of Learning to read the Holy Scriptures, takes 
little notice of the Civil character: it has the folloiving order: 
In the Name, &c. as above : O God, give ear, &c. : The two 
Alphabets ; Spelling Tables ; Tables of Abbreviations, Numerals, 
and Accents ; the Short Moral Precepts, in the Civil character : 
after these, the Prayers ; and lastly, the Catechism ivithout any 
Sacred History. The Prayers are somewhat longer than those 
printed above, and nearly the same as what the Reader reads in 
the Church at the beginning ofNocturn and other Offices : They 
are as follows : first. Glory be to Thee, &c. : O Heavenly 
King, &c. : O Holy God, &c. thrice : Glory be to the Father, 
&c. : O Most Holy Trinity, &c. : Lord, have mercy upon us, 
thrice : Glory, &c. : Our Father, &c. : Lord, have mercy upon 
us, twelve times : Glory, &c. : O come let us worship, &c. 
thrice : the fifty -first Psalm, Have mercy upon me, O God, &c. : 
the Creed: and lastly, the Angelic Salutation. The Prayers 
to be used on Rising from Sleep, and Going to Rest, and Before 
and After Dinner, are placed at the end of all, after the Short 
Catechism. 



ELEMENTS 



CHRISTIAN LEARNING 



A SHORT SACRED HISTORY 



A SHORT CATECHISM. 



REVISED AND APPROVED BY THE MOST HOLY GOVERlSimG SYNOD, AND 
PUBLISHED BY COMMAND OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, TOR THE USE OF 
SCHOOLS. 



ST. PETERSBUEG, 
AT THE SYNODAL PRESS. 



MDCCCXL. 



AS NEW BORN BABES, DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, THAT 
BY IT YE MAY GROW UP UNTO SALVATION." 1 PeT. II. 2. 



j^* After the Short Sacred History, which takes up forty-two due 
decimo pages, and is here omitted, the Catechism stands as follows : 



THE 

SHORTER CATECHISM. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Q. What learning is most needful for all men ? introd. 
A. Christian learning. 
Q. Why? 

A. Because it leads us to God, to everlasting salvation, or, 
in other words, to everlasting happiness. 
Q. How can we draw near to God ? 
A. By thought, wish, and deed. 
Q. Who draws near to God by thought ? 
A. He who rightly believes in Him. 
Q. Who draws near to God by wish ? 
A. He who prays to Him. 
Q. Who draws near to God by deed? 
A. He who walks after God^s will and law. 
Q. Whence may we best learn how to believe aright? 
A. From the Creed. 
Q. Whence may we learn how to pray ? 
A. From the Lord's Prayer. 

Q. Whence how to walk after God's will and law ? 
A. From the Ten Commandments. 



OF THE CREED. 

Q. How is the Creed divided ? 

A. Into twelve Articles. 

Q. What is the first Article of the Creed ? 

c 



18 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



THE A. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of 

REED. ^ ^ ^ 

heaven and earth, and of all things ^isible and invisible. 
Q. What points of onr behef are contained in this Article ? 
A. The following : 

1. God is One. 

2. Being One in essence, He is yet Three in Persons. 

3. The First Person of the Trinity is God the Father. 

4. God thus One in Three Persons made heaven and earth, 
and all things visible and invisible. 

5. God sustains by His power, and governs all things. 
Q. What is the second Article of the Creed ? 

A. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son 
of God, Begotten of the Father before all worlds. Light of 
Light, Very God of very God, Begotten, not made. Of one 
substance with the Father, By Whom all things were made. 

Q. What points of our belief are taught in this Article ? 

A. The following : 

1. The Second Person of the Holy Trinity is the Son of 
God, Jesus Christ. 

2. Jesus Christ is the one only Son of God, and there is 
no other Son of God in such sense as He. 

3. The Son of God is begotten of God the Father, before 
all worlds, and all times ; and so is coeternal with the Father. 

4. Jesus Christ is very God begotten of very God, and is 
of one substance with the Father. 

5. The Son is not made, but all things were made by Him. 
Q. What is the third Article of the Creed? 

A. Who for us men, and for our salvation came down from 
heaven. And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin 
Maiy, And was made Man. 

Q. What are we here taught to believe of the Son of God ? 

A. We are taught to believe as follows : 

1. The Son of God came down from heaven; took upon 
Him the nature of man, that is, a reasonable soul and human 
flesh ; was made man, without ceasing to be God, and dwelt 
on earth, where He was called Jesus Christ. 

2. Jesus Christ was born on earth of the most Holy Virgin 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



19 



Mary, who conceived Him by the operation of the Holy Ghost, the 
, . . CREEI 
and remameth ever virgin. 

8. Jesus Christ came on earth to save men from sin, in 
which they are born and Hve, and from death, to which they 
have been condemned ever since the Fall of Adam. 

Q. What is the fourth Article of the Creed ? 

A. And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and 
suffered, and was buried. 

Q. What do these words teach us to believe of Jesus Christ, 
the Son of God ? 

A, 1. That He was nailed to a Cross, suffered many things, 
died, and was buried. 

2. That He endured all this not for Himself, being wholly 
innocent and sinless, but for us ; that is, He endm'ed all the 
penalties due to all the sins of men, and death itself, in order 
to deliver us from sin and death. 

Q. What is the fifth Article of the Creed ? 

A. And rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. 

Q. What are we here taught of Jesus Christ ? 

A. That Jesus Christ the third day after His death rose 
from the tomb, as had been foretold of Him in the books of 
the Prophets. 

Q. What is the sixth Article of the Creed ? 

A. And ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right 
hand of the Father. 

Q. "V\Tiat doth this teach us of Jesus Christ ? 

A, That Jesus Christ on the fortieth day after His resur- 
rection ascended with His body into heaven, and sitteth on 
the right hand of God the Father, being equal to Him in 
power and glory. 

Q. What is the seventh Article of the Creed ? 

A. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the 
quick and the dead : Whose kingdom shall have no end. 

Q. What doth this teach us of Jesus Christ ? 

A. That Jesus Christ shall come again from heaven in 
glory, to judge all men, both the living and the dead, who 
shall all rise again to be judged. 

c 2 



20 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



THE Q. What is the eighth Article of the Creed ? 

REEL) 

'- A. And I believe in the Holy Ghost^ the Lord, the Giver of 

life. Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father 
and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Wlio spake 
by the Prophets. 

Q. What part of our belief is contained in this Article ? 
A. That part which relates to the Holy Ghost, as follows : 

1 . The Holy Ghost is the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. 

2. The Holy Ghost proceeds from God the Father. 

3. The Holy Ghost, with God the Father and the Son, 
giveth hfe to all creatures, and specially spiritual life to men. 

4. The same worship and glory, wliich belongeth to the 
Father and the Son, belongeth also to the Holy Ghost, as 
very Lord and God. 

5. When the Prophets and Apostles declared God^s will to 
men, or wrote the sacred books, they spake by inspiration of 
the Holy Ghost. 

Q. What is the ninth Article of the Creed? 

A. I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

Q. What are we here taught ? 

A. That the true Christian Church is one, Cathohc, or 
CEcumenical, and Apostolic, that is, deiived from the Apo- 
stles to us without break or change, and so to be continued 
to the end of the world : and therefore it is om' duty to reve- 
rence her, and obey her, and flee all schism ; that is, separa-^ 
tion from the one Orthodox Church. 

Q. "What is the tenth Article of the Creed? 

A. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. 

Q. What part of our belief is contained in this Article ? 

A. The doctrine of the mystery or sacrament of Holy Bap- 
tism, which every believer must receive once. 

Q. Why is Baptism called a mystery ? 

A. Because of the grace which mysteriously worketh in it. 

Q. Are there any other Sacraments, besides Baptism ? 

A. The Sacraments in all are seven: 1, Baptism: 2, Unction 
with Chi^ism: 3, Communion: 4, Penitence: 5, Orders: 
6, Matrimony : 7, Unction with Oil. 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



21 



Q. In what consists Baptism ? 

A. In tliis_, that the believer is dipped thrice in water, in the 
name of the Father^ and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Q. Why are we baptized ? 

A. To the end that we may be mystically washed from sin, 
and receive a new life of grace. 

Q, In what consists Unction with Chrism ? 

A. In this, that the baptized is anointed with Holy Chrism 
while the minister pronounces the sacramental words : " The 
seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Q. In what consists Communion? 

A. In this, that the believer, under the form of bread com- 
municates of the very Body of Christ, and under the form of 
wine of the very Blood of Christ. 

Q. AVhat are the benefits which he receives thereby ? 

A. He is made one with Christ, and in Him a partaker of 
eternal life. 

Q. In what consists Penitence ? 

In this, that he who has sinned after Baptism confesses 
his sins before a Priest, and through him receives pardon from 
Jesus Christ Himself. 

Q. In what consists the sacrament of Orders ? 

A. In this, that by laying on of the Bishop^s hands power 
IS given to perform or minister sacraments. 

Q. In what consists the sacrament of Matrimony ? 

A. In this, that on the free consent of the man and woman, 
their union is blessed in the Church, for an image of the 
union of Christ with His Church. 

Q. In what consists Unction with Oil ? 

A. In this, that the sick is anointed with oil, while grace ia 
prayed for to heal him. 

Q. What is the eleventh Article of the Creed ? 

A. I look for the Resurrection of the dead. 

Q. What are we taught here ? 

A. That all men who are dead shall at a certain time fore- 
ordained of God rise again with their bodies, which shall 
thenceforth be incorruptible and immortal. 



22 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



LORD'S Q. What is the twelfth Article of the Creed? 

PRAYER, 

A. And the life of the world to come. 

Q. What is taught in this ? 

A. That after the general resurrection and Christ's judg- 
ment there shall be an everlasting life, in which believer s^ who 
have ended their course on earth in repentance and good 
works, shall receive everlasting bliss ; but impenitent sinners 
shall suffer everlasting torment. 



OF THE LORD S PRAYER. 

Q. How may the Lord's Prayer be divided? 

A. Into the preface, seven petitions j and the doocology. 

Q. What is the preface ? 

A. Our Father which art in heaven. 

Q. Why has Jesus Christ commanded us to call upon God 
by the name of Father ? 

A. To this end : that we should stand before God in prayer 
not only with fear, as servants before their Lord, but also with 
love and hope, as children before their Father. 

Q. What is the first petition of the Lord's Prayer? 

A. Hallowed be Thy Name. 

Q. What ask we hereby of God ? 

A. We ask His help, that His holy Name may be hallowed 
both in our hearts and on our lips ; also that by our holy 
deeds and lives we may contribute to spread His glory 
among men. 

Q. What is the second petition of the Lord's Prayer ? 

A. Thy Kingdom come. 

Q. What ask we hereby of God ? 

A. We ask His help, that sin reign not in us, but that the 
Spirit of God may lead us to good and happiness. 
Q. What is the third petition of the Lord's Prayer ? 
A. Thy will be done, as in heaven so also on earth. 
Q. What ask we hereby ? 

A. In this petition we offer the sacrifice of our will to 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



23 



God. and ask Him to do witli us as seemeth Him srood of LORD'S 

PRAYER 

His wisdom ; likewise that all men may be brought to obey 

His will on earth, even as it is obeyed perfectly by the 
Angels in heaven. 

Q. What is the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer ? 

A. Give us this day our bread for subsistence. 

Q. What ask we hereby ? 

A. We ask God, of His good providence to give us what is 
necessary for us to subsist, as food, clothes, lodging; and we 
ask this for to-day only, without further care for the future, 
because such care would be inconsistent with trust in God. 

Q. What is the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer ? 

A. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 

Q. What ask we hereby ? 

A. We ask God to forgive us our sins, as we also forgive 
them that have sinned against us, or wronged us. 

Q. But what if we do not forgive others ? 

A. Then we can expect no forgiveness ourselves of God ; 
and so it is absolutely necessary to forgive injuries, and strive 
to be at peace with all men. 

Q. What is the sixth petition of the Lord's Prayer ? 

A. And lead us not into temptation. 

Q. What ask we herebj^ ? 

A. We ask God not to suffer the devil to deceive us in 
any wise, or draw us into sin. 

Q. What is the seventh petition of the Lord^s Prayer ? 
A. But deliver us from evil. 
Q. What ask we hereby ? 

A. We ask God to dehver us from all evil and misery. 

Q. What is the doxology after the Lord's Prayer ? 

A. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the 
glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Q. Why is this added after the Lord's Prayer ? 

A. That he who prays, may not only ask mercies for him- 
self from the almighty and all-ruling God, but also offer Him 
that glory which is His by right. 

Q. What meaneth the word. Amen ? 



24 THE SHORTER CATECHTSM. 

HE TEN A. It is a word of religious affirmation. It means, Verily, 

COMM. cj 1. 

or So be it. 



OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

Q. What is the first Commandment of God^s law ? 
A. I am the Lord thy God : thou shalt have none other 
Gods but Me. 

Q. What doth God command hereby? 

A. In this Commandment God teaches us : 

1. With our mind to acknowledge Him. 

2. With our heart to believe in Him, trust in Him, and 
love Him. 

3. With our lips to confess and glorify Him. 

4. With our whole being to worship Him, and with all our 
might devoutly to serve Him. 

5. Beside the one true God neither to invoke nor honour 
any false god, nor give to creatures that honour which be- 
longeth to God only. 

Q. What are we to think of the holy Angels and holy men ? 

A. We ought not to honour them as we honour God, but 
as God^s servants, who may present our prayers to God, and 
minister to us His grace ; wherefore we should also ask help 
through them of God. 

Q. What is the second Commandment ? 

A, Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, nor 
the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the 
earth beneath, or in the water under the earth : thou shalt 
not bow down to them nor serve them. 

Q. What doth God forbid in this Commandment ? 

A. He forbids us to worship idols. 

Q. What is an idol ? 

A. The material representation of any creature, or of any 
imaginary deity, which is worshipped instead of the true God. 
Q. What are we to think of Icons ? 

A. Icons, (or church images,) that is, representations of the 
true God in the flesh, and of His Saints, are rightly used for 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



25 



the religious remembrance of the works of God, and of His the ten 

Saints, and it is right to pray before them to God and to His 

Saints. Nevertheless, this right and godly honour of Icons 
may be abused so as to become the sin of idolatry, if any one 
honours only the holy Icons themselves, and trusts in their 
material substance, without raising up his mind and heart to 
Christ and His Saints whom they represent. 

Q. What is the third Commandment ? 

A. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 

Q. What doth God forbid hereby? 

A. He forbids us to use the name of God amiss. 

Q. When may we rightly use the name of God ? 

A. We may rightly use the name of God in prayer, in 
religious instruction, and in lawful oaths, when required by 
authority, and that with fear and reverence. 

Q. But in common talk may we exclaim, as many do, or 
swear by the name of God ? 

A. No. This is contrary to the third Commandment. 

Q. What is the fourth Commandment ? 

A. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy : six days 
shalt thou work and do all that thou hast to do, but on the 
seventh day is the sabbath to the Lord thy God. 

Q. What doth God command hereby ? 

A. To work six daj-s in the week, and do all that belongs 
to our worldly calling, but to keep the seventh day holy to 
God ; that is, to set it apart for prayer, for religious instruc- 
tion, and works of piety. 

Q. Why ought we to keep holy the seventh day ? 

A. Because God made the world in six days, and on the 
seventh day rested from all His works. 

Q. Which particular day of the seven ought we to keep ? 

A. In old time they kept the sabbath (or Saturday) ; but 
since the resurrection of Christ, the Christian Church keeps 
the Day of the Resurrection (or the Lord^s Day) . 

Q. Are there not also other days to be kept holy? 

A. There are : first, the festivals of our Lord : secondly, 
those of the most holy Virgin, the Mother of God : thirdly. 



26 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



THE TEN those of the Saints : fourthly^ fast days, which are to be kept 

^ holy by observing such abstinence as is enjoined by the 

Church. 

Q. What is the fifth Commandment ? 

A. Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well 
with thee, and that thou mayest live long upon the earth. 

Q. What doth G-od command hereby ? 

A. He commands us to honour and obey our parents. 

Q. Is it only our parents then that we are to honour ? 

A. The same Commandment teaches us also to honour all 
who in divers relations stand to us in the place of parents ; 
as the Sovereign, who is the common father of the whole 
people and empire ; spiritual Pastors and Teachers ; Elders ; 
Guardians and Benefactors ; Governors and Masters. 

Q. What is the sixth Commandment ? 

A. Thou shalt do no murder. 

Q. What doth God forbid hereby? 

A. He forbids us to take away men's lives by force or 
guile, or in any way to disturb the peace of our neighbour ; 
and so this Commandment forbids also all strife, wrath, 
hatred, envy, and cruelty. 

Q. What is the seventh Commandment ? 

A. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

Q. What doth God forbid hereby? 

A. He forbids adultery, and all irregular and unclean 
carnal lust, and likewise all that may tend to excite unlawful 
desires; as drunkenness, indecent and shameless words or 
gestures, the reading of bad books, singing or listening to 
immoral songs, or looking upon immoral pictures or shows. 

Q. What is the eighth Commandment ? 

A. Thou shalt not steal. 

Q. What doth God forbid hereby ? 

A. To take by force or guile any thing that is not our own. 
Q. What is the ninth Commandment ? 
A. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 
Q. What doth God forbid hereby? 

A. He forbids us to bear false witness against any man, in 



THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



27 



court, or out of court, to slander, defame, or revile any, either the ten 
to his face or behind his back, or under any circumstances to 
lie or deceive. 

Q. What is the tenth Commandment ? 

A. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, thou shalt 
not covet thy neighbour's house, nor his field, nor his servant, 
nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any other beast, nor 
any thing that is his. 

Q. What doth God forbid hereby ? 

A, He forbids us not only to do evil, but even so much as 
to desire it, or think of it, that we may not from evil thoughts 
and desires go on to evil deeds. 

Q. How are we to keep ourselves from evil deeds, desires, 
and thoughts ? 

A. We should ever bear in mind that the Holy, J ust, and 
Almighty God constantly seeth us ; and upon the first thought 
of sin we should say with Joseph, the son of Jacob, How shall 
I do this ivickedness, and sin against God ? 



END OF THE SHORTER CATECHISM. 



THE 



LONGER CATECHISM 



OF THE 



ORTHODOX, CATHOLIC. EASTERN CHURCH. 



EXAMINED AND APPROVED BY THE MOST HOLY GOVERNING SYNOD, AND 
PUBLISHED FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS, AND OF ALL ORTHODOX CHRIS- 
TIANS, BY ORDER OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. 



MOSCOW, 

AT THE SYNODAL PRESS. 

M DCCC XXXIX. 



HOLD FAST THE FORM OF SOUND WORDS, WHICH THOU HAST HEARD OF 
MB, IN FAITH AND LOVE, WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS." 2 TiM. I. 13. 



INTRODUCTION 



TO THE 

ORTHODOX CATECHISM. 



PRELIMINARY INSTRUCTION. 

Q. What is an Orthodox Catechism ? mTROD. 

A. An Orthodox Catechism is an instruction in the ortho- 
dox Christian faith_, to be taught to every Christian, to enable 
him to please God, and save his own soul. 

Q. What is the meaning of the word Catechism ? 

A. It is a Greek word, signifying instruction, or oral 
teaching ; and has been used ever since the Apostles^ times to 
denote that primary instruction in the orthodox faith, which 
is needful for every Christian. Luke i. 4; Acts x^dii. 25. 

Q. AYhat is necessary in order to please God, and to save 
one^s own soul? 

A. In the first place, a knowledge of the true God, and a 
right faith in Him ; in the second place, a life according to 
faith, and good works. 

Q. Why is faith necessary in the first place ? 

A. Because, as the word of God testifies. Without faith it 
is impossible to please God. Heb. xi. 6. 

Q. Why must a life according to faith, and good works, 
be inseparable from this faith ? 

A. Because, as the word of God testifies. Faith without 
works is dead. James ii. 20. 



32 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



INTROD. q. What is faith ? 

A. According to the definition of St. Paul^ Faith is the 
substance of things hoped for, the evideyice of things not seen ; 
Heb. xi. 1 : that is^ a trust in the unseen, as though it were seen, 
in that which is hoped and waited for^ as if it were present. 

Q. What is the difference between knowledge and faith ? 

A. Knowledge has for its object things visible and com- 
prehensible; faith, things which are invisible and even in- 
comprehensible. Knowledge is founded on experience, on 
examination of its object ; but faith on belief of testimony to 
truth. Knowledge belongs properly to the intellect, although 
it may also act on the heart ; Faith belongs principally to 
the heart, although it is imparted through the intellect. 

Q. Why is faith and not knowledge only necessary in 
religious instruction? 

A. Because the chief object of this instruction is God 
invisible and incomprehensible, and the wisdom of God 
hidden in a mystery ; consequently many parts of this learn- 
ing cannot be embraced by knowledge, but may be received 
by faith. 

Faith, says St. Cyril of Jerusalem, is the eye which enlight- 
eneth every man^s conscience : it giveth man knoivledge. FoVy 
as the prophet says. If ye ivill not believe, ye shall not under- 
stand, Isaiah vii. 9 ; Cyr. Cat. v. 

Q. Can you illustrate further the necessity of faith ? 

A, St. Cyril thus illustrates it. It is not only amongst us, 
who bear the name of Christ, that faith is made so great a 
thing ; but every thing which is done in the world, even by men 
who are unconnected with the Church, is done by faith. 
Agriculture is founded on faith; for no one, who did not believe 
that he should gather in the increase of the fruits of the earth, 
would undertake the labour of husbandry. Mariners are guided 
by faith, when they entrust their fate to a slight plank, and 
prefer the agitation of the unstable ivaters, to the more stable 
element of the earth. They give themselves up to uncertain 
expectations, and retain for themselves nothing but faith, to 
which they trust, more than to any anchors. Cyr. Cat. v. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



33 



INTROD. 

ON DIVINE REVELATION. 

Q. Whence is the doctrine of the orthodox faith derived ? 
A. From Divine Revelation. 

Q. What is meant by the words Divine Revelation? 

A, That which God Himself has revealed to men, in order 
that they might rightly and savingly beheve in Him^ and 
worthily honour Him. 

Q. Has God given such a revelation to all men ? 

A. He has given it for all, as being necessary for all alike, 
and capable of bringing salvation to all : but since not all 
men are capable of receiving a revelation immediately from 
God, He has employed special persons as heralds of His reve- 
lation, to deliver it to all who are desirous of receiving it. 

Q. Why are not all men capable of receiving a revelation 
immediately from God ? 

A. Owing to their sinful impurity and weakness both in 
soul and body. 

Q. Who were the heralds of Divine Revelation ? 

A. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and other Prophets, 
received and preached the beginnings of Divine Revelation : 
but it was the incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who brought it to earth in its fulness and perfection, and 
spread it over all the world by His disciples and Apostles. 

The Apostle Paul says in the beginning of his Epistle to 
the Hebrews ; God, ivho at sundry times, and in divers man- 
ners, spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath 
in these last days spoken unto us by His Son IVhom He hath 
appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the 
worlds. 

The same Apostle writes as follows to the Corinthians : 
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden 
things, which God ordained before the ivorld unto our glory ; 
which none of the ^princes of this world knew. But God hath 
revealed them unto us, by His Spirit : for the Spirit searcheth 
all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1 Cor. ii. 7. 10. 

D 



34 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



The Evangelist John writes in his Gospel ; No man hath 
seen God at any time : the only begotten Son, which is in the 
bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. John i. 18. 

Jesus Christ Himself says ; No man hioweth the Son, but 
the Father ; neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, 
and he, to whomsoever the Son ivill reveal Him. Matt. xi. 27. 

Q. Cannot man then have any knowledge of God without 
a special revelation from Him ? 

A. Man may have some knowledge of God by contem- 
plation of those things which He has created; but this 
knowledge is imperfect and insufficient, and can serve only 
as a preparation for faith^ or as a help towards the know- 
ledge of God from His revelation. 

For the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the 
world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are 
made, even His eternal power and Godhead. Eom. i. 20. 

And He hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell 
on all the face of the earth; and hath determined the times before 
appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ; that they should 
seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, 
though He be not far from every one of us. For in Him we live, 
and move and have our being. Acts xvii. 26 . . 28. 

With regard to faith in God, it is preceded by the idea 
that God is; which idea we get from the things which 
have been created. Attentively examining the creation of the 
world we perceive that God is all-wise, all-powerf ul, and good : 
we perceive also all His invisible properties. By these mean^ 
we are led to acknowledge Him as the Supreme Ruler. 
Seeing that God is the Creator of the whole world, and we 
form a part of the world, it follows that God is also our 
Creator. On this knowledge follows faith ; and on faith 
adoration. Basil. Magn. Epist. 232. 

ON HOLY TRADITION AND HOLY SCRIPTURE. 

Q. How is Divine Revelation spread among men, and pre- 
served in the true Chui'ch ? 

A. By two channels ; holy Tradition, and holy Scripture. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. \^ 35 

Q. What is meant by the name ?ioly Tradition ? introd. 

A. By the name holy Tradition is meant the doctrine 
of the faith, the law of God, the sacraments, and the ritual as 
handed down by the true believers and worshippers of God 
by word and example from one to another, and from gene- 
ration to generation. 

Q. Is there any sure repository of holy Tradition ? 

A. All true believers united by the holy tradition of the 
faith, collectively and successively, by the will of God, com- 
pose the Church; and She is the sure repository of holy 
Tradition, or, as St. Paul expresses it. The Church of the 
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 1 Tim. iii. 15. 

St. Irenaeus writes thus : We ought not to seek among 
others the truth, which we may have for asking from the 
Church. For in her, as in a rich treasure-house, the Apostles 
have laid up in its fulness all that pertains to the truth, so that 
ivhosoever seeketh, may receive from her the food of life. She 
is the door of life. Adv. Hseres. 1. iii. c. 4. ^ 

Q. What is that which you call holy Scripture ? 

A. Certain books written by the Spirit of God, through 
men sanctified by God, called Prophets and Apostles. These 
books are commonly termed the Bible. 

Q. What does the word Bible mean ? 

A. It is Greek, and means The books. The name signifies 
that the sacred books deserve attention before all others. 

Q. Which is the more ancient, holy Tradition, or holy 
Scripture ? 

A. The most ancient and original instrument for spreading 
Divine Revelation is holy Tradition. From Adam to Moses 
there were no sacred books. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself 
delivered His Divine doctrine and ordinances to His disciples 
by word and example, but not by writing. The same method 
was followed by the Apostles also at first, when they spread 
abroad the faith and established the Church of Christ. The 
necessity of tradition is further evident from this, that books 
can be available only to a small part of mankind, but tradi- 
tion to all, 

D 2 



36 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



INTROD. Q, Why then was holy Scripture given ? 

A, To this end, that Divine Eevelation might be preserved 
more exactly and unchangeably. In holy Scripture we read 
the words of the Prophets and Apostles precisely as if we were 
living with them and listening to them, although the latest 
of the sacred books were written a thousand and some 
hundred years before our time. 

Q. Must we follow holy Tradition, even when we possess 
holy Scriptiu?e? 

^ A. We must follow that tradition which agrees with the 
Divine Revelation and with holy Scripture, as is taught 
us by holy Scripture itself. The Apostle Paul writes ; There- 
fore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have 
\ been taught, whether by word or our epistle. 2 Thess. ii. 15. 

Q. Why is Tradition necessary even now ? 

A. As a guide to the right understanding of holy Scrip- 
ture, for the right ministration of the Sacraments, and the 
preservation of sacred rites and ceremonies in the purity of 
their original institution. 

St. Basil the Great says of this as follows : Of the doctrines 
and injunctions kept by the Church, some we have from 
written instruction, but some we have received from Apostolical 
tradition, by succession in private. Both the former and the 
latter have one and the same force for piety ; and this will 
be contradicted by no one, who has ever so little knowledge in 
the ordinances of the Church. For were we to dare to reject 
unwritten customs, as if they had no great importance, we 
should insensibly mutilate the Gospel, even in the most essential 
points, or rather, for the teaching of the Apostles leave but an 
empty name. For instance ; let us mention before all else the 
very first and commonest act of Christians ; that they who 
trust in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, should sign them- 
selves with the sign of the cross ; who hath taught this by 
writing? To turn to the east in prayer: what Scripture 
have we for this? The words of invocation in the change of the 
Eucharistic bread and of the Cup of blessing ; by which of the 
Saints have they been left us in writing ? For we are not con- 



0¥ THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



37 



tent with those ivords which the Apostle or the Gospel records, introd. 
but both before them and after them we pronounce others also, 
which we hold to be of great force for the Sacrament, though 
we have received them from unwritten teaching. By what 
Scripture is it in like manner that we bless the water of Bap- 
tism, the oil of unction, and the person himself who is baptized? 
Is it not by a silent and secret tradition ? What more ? The 
very practice itself of anointing with oil; what written word 
have we for it ? Whence is the rule of trine immersion ? and 
the rest of the ceremonies at Baptism, the renunciation of Satan 
and his angels ? from what Scripture are they taken ? Are they 
not all from this unpublished and private teaching, which our 
Fathers kept under a reserve inaccessible to curiosity and pro- 
fane disquisition, having been taught as a first principle to 
guard by silence the sanctity of the mysteries ? For how were 
it fit to publish in writing the doctrine of those things, on which 
the unbaptized may 7iot so much as look ? Can. xcvii. De 
Spir. Sanct. c. xxvii. 

ON HOLY SCRIPTURE IN PARTICULAR. 

Q. When were the sacred books written ? 
A. At different times : some before the birth of Christ, 
others after. 

Q. Have not these two divisions of the sacred books each 
their own names? 

A. They have. Those written before the Birth of Christ 
are called the books of the Old Testament ; while those 
written after are called the books of the New Testament. 

Q. What are the Old and New Testaments ? 

A. In other words : the old and new Covenants of God 
with men. 

Q. In what consisted the Old Testament? 
A. In this, that God promised men a Divine Saviour, 
and prepared them to receive Him. 

Q. How did God prepare men to receive the Saviour ? 
A. Through gradual revelations, by prophecies and types. 



38 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



INTROD. Q' In what consists the New Testament ? 

A. In this, that God has actually given men a Divine 
Saviour, His own only -begotten Son, Jesus Christ. 

Q, How many are the books of the Old Testament ? 

A. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Athanasius the Great, and 
St. John Damascene reckon them at twenty-two, agreeing 
therein with the Jews, who so reckon them in the original 
Hebrew tongue. Athanas. Ep. xxxix. De Test., J. Damasc. 
Theol. 1. iv. c. 17. 

Q. Why should we attend to the reckoning of the 
Hebrews ? 

A. Because, as the Apostle Paul saj^s, unto them were 
committed the oracles of God : and the sacred books of the 
Old Testament have been received from the Hebrew Church 
of that Testament by the Christian Church of the New. 
Rom. iii. 2. 

Q. How do St. Cyril and St. Athanasius enumerate the 
books of the Old Testament ? 

A. As follows : 1, The book of Genesis : 2, Exodus : 3, 
Leviticus: 4, The book of Numbers: 5, Deuteronomy: 6, The 
book of J esus the son of Nun : 7, The book of Judges, and 
with it, as an appendix. The book of Ruth : 8, The first and 
second books of Kings, as two parts of one book : 9, The 
third and fourth books of Kings : 1 0, The first and second 
books of Paralipomena : 11, The first book of Esdras, and 
the second, or, as it is entitled in Greek, the book of Nehe- 
miah: 12, The book of Esther: 13, The book of Job: 
14, The Psalms: 15, The Proverbs of Solomon: 16, Eccle- 
siastes, also by Solomon : 17, The Song of Songs, also by 
Solomon : 18, The book of the Prophet Isaiah : 19, Of Jere- 
miah : 20, Of Ezekiel : 21, Of Daniel : 22, Of the Twelve 
Prophets. 

Q. Why is there no notice taken in this enumeration of 
the books of the Old Testament of the book of the Wisdom 
of the son of Sirach, and of certain others ? 

A. Because they do not exist in the Hebrew. 

Q. How are we to regard these last-named books? 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. d9 \ 

A. Athanasius the Great says, that they have been ap- INTROD. 
pointed of the Fathers to be read by proselytes, who are pre- 
paring for admission into the Chnrch. 

Q. Is there any division of the books of the Old Testa- 
ment, by which you can give a more distinct account of their 
contents ? 

A. They may be divided into the four following classes : 

1. Books of the Law, which form the basis of the Old 
Testament. 

2. Historical books, which contain principally the history 
of religion. 

3. Doctrinal, which contain the doctrine of religion. 

4. Prophetical, which contain prophecies, or predictions of 
things future, and especially of Jesus Christ. 

Q. Which are the books of the Law ? 

A, The five books written by Moses ; Genesis, Exodus, 
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 

Jesus Christ Himself gives to these books the general 
name of the Law of Moses. Luke xxiv. 44. 

Q. What in particular is contained in the book of Genesis ? 

A. The account of the creation of the world and of man, 
and afterwards the history and ordinances of religion in the 
first ages of mankind. 

Q. What is contained in the other four books of Moses? 

A. The history of religion in the time of the Prophet 
Moses, and the Law given through him from God. 

Q. Which are the historical books of the Old Testament ? 

A. The books of Jesus the son of Nun, Judges, Ruth, 
Kings, Paralipomena, the book of Esdras, and the books of 
Nehemiah and Esther. 

Q. Which are the doctrinal? 

A. The book of Job, The Psalms, and the books of 
Solomon. 

Q. What should we remark in particular of the book of 
Psalms ? 

A. This book, together with the doctrine of religion, con- 
tains also allusions to its history, and man 3^ prophecies of our 



40 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



INTROD. - Saviour Christ. It is a perfect manual of prayer and praise, 
and on this account is in continual use in the Divine service 
of the Church. 

Q. Which books are prophetical ? 

A. Those of the Prophets; Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 
Daniel, and the twelve others. 

Q. How many are the books of the New Testament ? 
A. Twenty-seven. 

Q. Are there among these any which answer to the books 
of the Law, or form the basis of the New Testament ? 

A. Yes. The Gospel, which consists of the four books of 
the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

Q. What means the word Gospel? 

A. It is the same as the Greek word Evangely, and means 
good or joyful tidings. 

Q. Of what have we good tidings in the books caUed the 
Gospel ? 

A. Of the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, of His advent 
and life on earth, of His miracles and saving doctrine, and 
finally, of His death upon the cross. His glorious resurrection, 
and ascension into heaven. 

Q. Why are these books called the Gospel ? 

A. Because man can have no better nor more joyful 
tidings than these, of a Di^dne Saviour and everlasting 
salvation. For the same cause, whenever the Gospel is read 
in the Church, it is prefaced and accompanied by the joyful 
exclamation ; Glory be to Thee, O Lord, glory he to Thee. 

Q. Are any of the books of the New Testament historical! 

A. Yes. One; the book of the Acts of the holy Apostles. 

Q. Of what does it give an account ? 

A. Of the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles, and 
of the extension through them of Christ^ s Church. 
Q. What is an Apostle ? 

A. The word means a messenger. It is the name given 
to those disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom He sent to 
preach the Gospel. 

Q. Which books of the New Testament are doctrinal ? 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



41 



A. The seven General Epistles ; namely, one of the Apostle INTROD. 
James, two of Peter, three of John, and one of Jude: and 
fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul; namely, one to the 
Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to the Galatians, one to 
the Ephesians, one to the Philippians, one to the Colossians, 
two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, one to Titus, one 
to Philemon, and one to the Hebrews. 

Q. Are there also among the books of the New Testament 
any prophetical ? 

A. Such is the book of the Apocalypse. 

Q. What means this word Apocalypse ? 

A. It is Greek, and means revelation. 

Q. What are the contents of this book ? 

A. A mystical representation of the future destinies of the 
Christian Church, and of the whole world. 

Q. What rules must we observe in reading holy Scrip- 
ture ? 

A. Eirst, we must read it devoutly, as the word of God, 
and with prayer to understand it aright ; secondly, we must 
read it with a pure desire of instruction in faith, and incite- 
ment to good works ; thirdly, we must take and understand 
it in such sense as agrees with the interpretation of the 
Orthodox Church and the holy Eathers. 

Q. When the Church proposes the doctrine of Divine 
Kevelation and of holy Scripture to people for the first time, 
what signs does she offer that it is really the word of God ? 

A. Signs of this are the following : 

1. The sublimity of this doctrine, which witnesses that it 
cannot be any invention of man^s reason. 

2. The purity of this doctrine, which shews that it is from 
the all-pure mind of God. 

3. Prophecies. 

4. Miracles. 

5. The mighty effect of this doctrine upon the hearts of 
men, beyond all but Divine power. 

Q. In what way are prophecies signs of a true revelation 
from God ? 



42 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



A. This may be shewn by an example. When the Prophet 
Isaiah foretold the birth of the Saviour Christ from a virgin, 
a thing which the natural reason of man could not have so 
much as imagined, and when, some hundred years after 
this prophecy, our Lord Jesus Christ was born of the most 
pm^e Virgin Mary, it was impossible not to see that the pro- 
phecy was the word of the Omniscient, and its fulfilment the 
work of the Almighty God. Wherefore also the holy Evan- 
gelist Matthew when relating the birth of Christ, brings 
forward the prophecy of Isaiah : But all this was done, that 
it might be fulfilled which ivas spoken of the Lord by the Pro- 
phet, saying ; Behold a Virgin shall be with child, and shall 
bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Ejumanuel, 
which, being interpreted, is, God with us. Mat. i. 22, 23. 

Q. What are miracles ? 

A, Acts, which can be done by no power or art of man, 
but only by the Almighty power of God; for example, to 
raise the dead. 

Q. How do miracles serve for a sign that the word spoken 
is from God ? 

A. He who does true miracles works by the power of 
God j consequently he is in favour with God, and partaker 
of the Divine Spirit: but to such it must belong to speak 
only the pure truth ; and so, when such a man speaks in 
God^s name, we are sure that by his mouth there speaketh 
really the Word of God. 

On this account our Lord Jesus Christ Himself owns mi- 
racles as a powerful testimony to His Di^dne Mission : The 
works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same 
works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent 
Me. John v. 36. 

Q. Whence may we more particularly see the mighty 
effect of the doctrine of Christ ? 

A. From this; that twelve Apostles, taken from among 
poor and unlearned people, of the lowest class, by this 
doctrine overcame and subdued to Christ the mighty, the 
wise, and the rich ; kings, and their kingdoms. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



43 



INTROD . 

THE COMPOSITION OF THE CATECHISM. 

Q. WTiat may be a good order for setting forth a Cate- 
chetical instruction in rehgion ? 

A. For this Tre may follow the book of the Orthodox Con- 
fession^ approved by the Eastern Patriarchs_, and take as our 
basis the saying of the Apostle Paul^ that the whole energies 
of a Christian during this present life, consist in these three ; 
faith, hope, charity. And now abideth faitli, hope, charity ; 
these three. 1 Cor. xiii. 13. 

And so the Christian needs j First, Doctrine on faith in 
God, and on the Sacraments which He reveals ; Secondly, 
Doctrine on hope towards God, and on the means of being 
grounded in it ; Thirdly, Doctrine on love to God, and all 
that He commands us to love. 

Q. What does the Church use as her instrument to intro- 
duce us to the doctrine of faith ? 

A. The Creed. 

Q. What may we take as a guide for the doctrine of hope ? 
A. Our Lord's Beatitudes, and the Lord's Prayer. 
Q. Where may we find the elements of the doctrine of 
charity ? 

A. In the ten Commandments of the Law of God. 



THE FIRST PAET 

OF THE 

OETHODOX CATECHISM. 

ON FAITH. 



ON THE CREED GENERALLY, AND ON ITS ORIGIN. 
FIRST Q. What is the Creed? 

PART. 

A. The Creed is au exposition, in few but precise words, 

of that doctrine which all Christians are bound to beheve. 
Q. What are the words of this exposition ? 
A. They are as follows : 

1. / believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Maker of 
heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible : 

2. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only- 
begotten, begotten of the Father before all worlds. Light of 
Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, of one sub- 
stance with the Father, by whom all things were made ; 

3. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from 
heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Ghost, and of the Virgin 
Mary, and was made man ; 

4. And was crucified also for us, under Pontius Pilate, and 
suffered, and was buried ; 

5. And rose again the third day according to the Scrip- 
ture ; 

6. And ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand 
of the Father ; 



THE LONGER CATECHISM. 



45 



7. And He shall come again with glory to judge the quick 
and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. 

8. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, the Giver of life, 
who proceedeth from the Father, who ivith the Father and the Son 
together is ivorshipped and glorified, ivho spake by the Prophets. 

9. / believe one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. 

10. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. 

11. I look for the resurrection of the dead ; 

12. And the life of the world to come. Amen. 

Q. From whom have we this exposition of the faith ? 
A. From the Fathers of the first and second CEcumenical 
Councils. 

Q. What is an CEcumenical Council ? 

A. An assembly of the Pastors and Doctors of the Catholic 
Church of Christy as far as possible, from the whole world, for 
the confirmation of true doctrine and holy discipline among 
Christians. 

Q. How many CEcumenical Councils have there been ? 

A. Seven: 1, Of Nice; 2, Of Constantinople j 3, Of 
Ephesus; 4, Of Chalcedon; 5, The second of Constantinople; 
6, The third of Constantinople ; 7, The second of Nice. 

Q. Whence is the rule for assembling Councils ? 

A. From the example of the Apostles,, who held a Council 
in Jerusalem. Acts xv. This is grounded also upon the 
words of Jesus Christ Himself, which give to the decisions of 
the Chui'ch such weight, that whosoever disobej^s them is 
left deprived of grace as a heathen. But the mean, by 
which the (Ecumenical Church utters her decisions, is an 
(Ecumenical Council. 

Tell it unto the Church ; but if he neglect to hear the 
Church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man, and a publi- 
can. Mat. x\iii. 17. 

Q. What were the particular occasions for assembhng the 
first and second (Ecumenical Councils, at which the Creed 
was defined ? 

A. The first was held for the confirmation of the true 
doctrine respecting the Son of God, against the error of 



46 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST Arms, who thought unworthily of the Son of God : the second 

PART 

'— for the confirmation of the true doctrine respecting the Holy- 
Ghost, against Macedonius, who thought unworthily of the 
Holy Ghost. 

Q. Is it long ago that these Councils were held ? 
A, The first was held in the year 325 fi:om the birth of 
Christ, the second in 381. 



ON THE ARTICLES OF THE CREED. 

Q. What method shall we follow in order the better to 
understand the OEcumenical Creed ? 

A. We must notice its division into twelve articles or 
parts, and consider each article separately. 

Q. What is spoken of in each several article of the Creed ? 

A. The first article of the Creed speaks of God as the 
prime origin, more particularly of the first Person of the Holy 
Trinity, God the Father, and of God as the Creator of the 
world ; 

The second article, of the second Person of the Holy 
Trinity, Jesus Christ, the Son of God ; 

The third article, of the incarnation of the Son of God ; 

The fourth article, of the suffering and death of Jesus 
Christ ; 

The fifth article, of the resurrection of Jesus Christ ; 
The sixth article, of the ascension of Jesus Christ into 
heaven ; 

The seventh article, of the second coming of Jesus Christ 
upon earth ; 

The eighth article, of the third Person of the Holy Trinity, 
the Holy Ghost ; 

The ninth article, of the Church ; 

The tenth article, of Baptism, under which are implied 
the other Sacraments also ; 

The eleventh article, of the future resurrection of the dead ; 
The twelfth article, of the life everlasting. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



47 



ON THE FIRST ARTICLE. FAITPI. 
Q. What is it to believe in God ? 

A. To believe in God is to have a lively belief of His being, 
His attributes, and works ; and to receive with all the heart 
His revealed word respecting the salvation of men, 

Q. Can you shew from holy Scripture that faith in God 
must consist in this ? 

A. The Apostle Paul writes : Without faith it is impossible 
to please God : for he that cometh to God must believe that He 
is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. 
Heb. xi. 6. 

The same Apostle expresses the effect of faith on Christians 
in the following prayer for them to God : That He would grant 
you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened 
with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may 
dwell in your hearts by faith. Eph. iii. 16, 17. 

Q. What must be the immediate and constant effect of a 
hearty faith in God ? 

A. The confession of this same faith. 

Q. What is the confession of the faith ? 

A. It is openly to avow that we hold the Orthodox faith, 
and this with such sincerity and firmness, that neither seduc- 
tions, nor threats, nor tortures, nor death itself, may be able 
to make us deny our faith in the true God and in our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

Q. For what is the confession of the faith necessary ? 

A. The Apostle Paul witnesses that it is necessary for 
salvation. For with the heart man believeth unto righteous- 
ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 
Rom. x. 10. 

Q. Why is it necessary to salvation not only to believe, 
but also to confess the Orthodox faith ? 

A. Because if any one, to preserve his temporal life, or 
earthly goods, shrink from confessing the Orthodox faith, he 
shews thereby that he has not a true faith in God the 
Saviour, and the life of happiness to come. 



48 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FmsT Q. Why is it not said in the Creed simply, I believe in 
God, rather than with the addition, in one God? 

A. In order to contradict the error of the heathen, who 
taking the creature for God, thought there were many gods. 

Q. What does holy Scripture teach us of the unity of God? 

A. The very words of the Creed on this point are taken 
from the following passage of the Apostle Paul : There 
is none other God but one. For though there be that are called 
gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there be gods many, 
and lords many, but to us there is but one God, the Father, of 
whom are all things, and we in Him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, 
by whom are all things, and we by Him. 1 Cor. viii. 4, 5, 6. 

Q. Can we know the very essence of God ? 

A. No. It is above all knowledge, not of men only, but 
of Angels. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak on this point ? 

A. The Apostle Paul says, that God dwelleth in the light, 
which no man can approach unto. Whom no man hath seen, nor 
can see. 1 Tim. vi. 16. 

Q. What idea of the essence and essential attributes of 
God may be derived from Divine revelation ? 

A. That God is a Spirit, eternal, all-good, omniscient, all- 
just, almighty, omni-present, unchangeable, all-sufficing to 
Himself, all-blessed. 

Q. Shew all this from holy Scripture. 

A. Jesus Christ Himself has said, that God is a Spirit. 
John iv. 24. 

Of the eternity of God David says ; Before the mountains 
were brought forth or ever the earth and the ivorld were made, 
Thou art from everlasting and world without end. Psalm xc. 2. 
In the Apocalypse we read the following doxology to God, 
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which ivas, and is, and 
is to come. Apoc. iv. 8. The Apostle Paul says, that the 
Gospel was made manifest according to the commandment of 
the everlasting God. Rom. xvi. 26. 

Of the goodness of God Jesus Christ Himself said : The?^e 
is none good but one, that is God. Mat. xix. 17. The Apostle 



OP THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



49 



John says; God is Love. 1 Jolin iv. 16. David sings; The on 

Lord is gracious and merciful ^ long-suffering, and of great 

goodness. The Lord is loving unto every man, and His mercies 
are over all His tvorks. Psalm cxlv. 8, 9. 

Of the omniscience of God the Apostle John says ; God is 
greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 1 John iii. 20. 
The Apostle Paul exclaims ; the depth of the riches both of 
the wisdom, and knowledge of God I how unsearchable are His 
judgments, and His ways past finding out. Kom. xi. 33. 

Of the justice of God David sings ; The righteous Lord 
loveth righteousyiess, His countenance will behold the thing that 
is just. Psalm xi. 8. The Apostle Paul says that God will 
render to every man according to his deeds, and that there is 
no respect of persons with God. Rom. ii. 6. 11. 

Of the almighty power of God the Psalmist says; He 
spake, and it ivas done ; He commanded, and it stood fast. 
Psalm xxxiii. 9. The Archangel says in the Gospel; With 
God nothing shall be impossible. Luke i. 37. 

The omnipresence of God David describes thus : Whither 
shall I go from Thy Spirit ? or whither shall I go from Thy 
presence ? If I climb up into heaven. Thou art there ; if I go 
down to hell. Thou art there also : If I take the wings of the 
morning, and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea, even 
there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold 
me : If I say, Fer adventure the darkness shall cover me ; then 
shall my night be turned to day. Yea the darkness is no dark- 
ness with Thee, but the night is as clear as the dag ; the dark- 
ness and light to Thee are both alike. Psalm cxxxix. 6 . . 11. 

The Apostle James says, that With the Father of lights there 
is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James i. 17. 

The Apostle Paul writes, that God receiveth not worship of 
men's hands as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth 
to all life, and breath, and all things. Acts xvii. 25. The same 
Apostle calls God The blessed and only potentate, the King of 
kings and Lord of lords. 1 Tim. vi. 15. 

Q. If God is a Spirit, how does holy Scripture ascribe to 
Him bodily parts, as heart, eyes, ears, hands ? 

E 



50 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST A. Holy Scripture in this suits itself to the commori 

language of men ; but we are to understand such expressions 

in a higher and spiritual sense. For instance, the heart of 
God means His goodness or love ; eyes and ears mean His 
omniscience ; hands,, His almighty power. 

Q. If God is every where^, how do men say that God is 
in heaven, or in the church ? 

A. God is every where : but in heaven He has a special 
presence manifested in everlasting glory to the blessed 
spirits : also in churches He has, through grace and Sacra- 
ments, a special presence devoutly recognised and felt by 
believers, and manifested sometimes by extraordinary signs. 

Jesus Christ says ; Where two or three are gathered together 
in My name, there am I in the midst of them. Mat. xviii. 20. 

Q. How are we to understand these words of the Creed^ 
I believe in one God the Father ? 

A. This is to be understood with reference to the mystery 
of the Holy Trinity ; because God is One in substance but 
Trine in persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
a Trinity consubstantial and undivided. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of the Blessed Trinity? 

A. The chief texts on this point in the New Testament are 
the following : Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost, Mat. xxviii. 19. There are Three that bear record in 
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : and these 
Three are One. 1 John v. 7. 

Q. Is the Holy Trinity mentioned in the Old Testament 
also? 

A. Yes; only not so clearly. For instance; By the Word 
of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hosts of them 
by the Breath of His mouth. Psalm xxxiii. 6. Holy, Holy, 
Holy is the Lord of Hosts : the whole earth is full of His 
glory. Isaiah vi. 3. 

Q, How is one God in three Persons ? 

A. We cannot comprehend this inner mystery of the 
Godhead ; but we believe it on the infallible testimony of the 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



51 



word of God. The things of God knoweth no man. but the on 

^ ' FAITH. 

Spirit of God. 1 Cor. ii. 11. 

Q. What difference is there between the Persons of the 
Holy Trinity? 

A. God the Father is neither begottenj nor proceeds from 
any other Person : the Son of God is from all eternity be- 
gotten of the Father : the Holy Ghost from all eternity pro- 
ceeds from the Father. 

Are the three Hypostases or Persons of the Most Holy 
Trinity all of equal majesty? 

A. Yes: All of absolutely equal Divine majesty. The 
Father is true God; the Son equally true God; and the 
Holy Ghost true God; but yet so^ that in three Persons 
there is only one Tri-personal God. 

Q. Why is God called the Almighty, TlavTOKpaTopa ? 
, A. Because He upholds all things by His power and His will. 

Q. What is expressed by the words of the Creed, Maker 
of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible ? 

A. ThiSj that all was made by God, and that nothing can 
be without God. 

Q. Are not these words taken from holy Scripture ? 

A. They are. The book of Genesis begins thus; In the 
beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

The Apostle Paul speaking of Jesus Christ, the Son of 
God, says ; By Hirn were all things created, that are in heaven, 
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be 
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers : all things 
tvere created by Him, and for Him. Coloss. i. 16. 

Q. What is meant in the Creed by the word invisible ? 

A. The invisible or spiritual world, to which belong the 
Angels. 

Q. What are the Angels ? 

A» Incorporeal Spirits, having intelligence, will, and power. 
Q. What means the name Angel ? 
A. It means, a Messenger. 
Q. Why are they so called ? 

A. Because God sends them to announce His will. Thus 

E 2 



53 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST for instance, Gabriel was sent to announce to the Most Holy 

PART 

'— Virgin Mary the conception of the Saviour. 

Q. Which was created first, the visible world or the invisible? 

A. The invisible was created before the visible, and the 
Angels before men. Orthod. Confess. P. i. Q. 18. 

Q. Can we find any testimony to this in holy Scripture? 

A. In the book of Job God Himself speaks of the creation 
of the earth thus : TVho laid the corner-stone thereof? When 
the stars were created, all My Angels praised Me with a loud 
voice. Job xxxviii. 6, 7. 

Q. Whence is taken the name of Guardian Angels ? 

A. From the following words of holy Scripture; He shall 
give His Angels charge over thee, to guard thee in all thy ways. 
Psalm xci. 11. 

Q. Has each one of us his Guardian Angels ? 

A. Without doubt. Of this we may be assured from the 
following words of Jesus Christ ; Take heed that ye despise not 
one of these little ones : for I say unto you, that in heaven their 
Angels do always behold the face of My Father, which is in 
heaven. Mat. xviii. 10. 

Q. Are all Angels good and beneficent ? 

A. No. There are also evil angels, otherwise called devils. 

Q. How came they to be evil ? 

A. They were created good ; but they swerved from their 
duty of perfect obedience to God, and so fell away from Him 
into self-will, pride, and malice. According to the words of 
the Apostle Jude, they are the Angels which kept not their first 
estate, but left their own habitation. Jude 6. 

Q. What means the name devil ? 

A. It means, slanderer or deceiver. 

Q. Why are the evil angels called devils, that is, slanderers 
or deceivers ? 

A. Because they are ever laying snares for men, seek- 
ing to deceive them, and inspire them with false notions and 
evil wishes. 

Of this Jesus Christ speaking to the unbelieving Jews says ; 
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



53 



will do. He was a murderer from the beginning , and abode not 
in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh 
a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of 
it. John viii. 44. 

Q. What has holy Scripture revealed to us of the creation 
of the world ? 

A. In the beginning God created from nothing the heaven 
and the earth : and the earth was without form and void. After- 
wards God successively produced: on the first day of the 
worldj light : on the second, the firmament or visible heaven : 
on the third, the gathering together of waters on the earth, 
the dry land^ and what grows thereupon : on the fourth, the 
sun, moon, and stars : on the fifth, fishes and birds : on the 
sixth, four-footed creatures living on the earth, and lastly, 
man. With man the creation finished : and on the seventh 
day God rested from all his works. Hence the seventh day 
was called the sahbath, which in the Hebrew tongue means 
rest. Gen. ii. 2. 

Q. Were the visible creatures created such as we see 
them now ? 

A. No. At the creation every thing was very good, that 
is, pure, beautiful, and harmless. 

Q. Are we not informed of something particular in the 
creation of man ? 

A. God in the Holy Trinity said; Let Us make man in 
Our image, and after Our likeness. Gen. i. 26. And God made 
the body of the first man, Adam, from the earth; breathed 
into his nostrils the breath of life ; brought him into Paradise ; 
gave him for food, beside the other fruits of Paradise, the 
fruit of the tree of life ; and lastly, having taken a rib from 
Adam while he slept, made from it the first woman, Eve. 
Gen. ii. 22. 

Q. In what consists the image of God ? 

A. It consists, as explained by the Apostle Paul, In righte- 
ousness and holiness of truth. Eph. iv. 24. 

Q. What is the breath of life ? 

A. The soul, a substance spiritual and immortal. 



54 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



Q. What is Paradise ? 

A. The word Paradise means a garden. It is the name given 
to the fair and blissful abode of the first man, described in 
the book of Genesis as like a garden. 

Q» Was the Paradise in which man first lived material, 
or spiritual ? 

A, For the body it was material/a visible and blissful abode ; 
but for the soul it was spiritual, a state of communion by grace 
with God, and spiritual contemplation of the creatures. Greg. 
Theol. Serm. xxxviii. 42 ; J. Damasc. Theol. 1. 2. c. xii. 3. 

Q. What was the tree of life ? 

A. A tree, by feeding on whose fruit man would have 
been, even in the body, free from disease and death. 

Q. Why was Eve made/rom a rib of Adam? 

A. To the intent that all mankind might be by origin 
naturally disposed to love and defend one another. 

Q. With what design did God create man ? 

A. With this, that he should know God, love, and glorify 
Him, and so be happy for ever. 

Q. Has not that will of God, by which man is designed for 
eternal happiness, its own proper name in theology ? 

A, It is called predestination of God. 

Q. Does God^s predestination of man to happiness remain 
unchanged, seeing that now man is not happy ? 

A. It remains unchanged ; inasmuch as God, of His fore- 
knowledge and infinite mercy, hath predestined to open for 
man, even after his departure from the way of happiness, a 
new way to happiness, through His only-begotten Son Jesus 
Christ. 

He hath chosen us, in Himj before the foundation of the world j 
are the words of the Apostle Paul. Eph. i. 4. 

Q. How are we to understand the predestination of God, 
with respect to men in general, and to each man severally ? 

A. God has predestined to give to all men, and has actually 
given them preventing grace, and means sufiicient for the 
attainment of happiness. 

Q. What is said of this by the word of God ? 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



55 



A. For whom He did foreknow , He also did predestinate. 
Bom. viii. 29. 

Q. How does the Orthodox Church speak on this point? 

A, In the exposition of the faith by the Eastern Patriarchs 
it is said: As He foresaw that some would use well their free 
will, but others ill, He accordingly predestined the former to glory, 
while the latter He condemned. Art. iii. 

Q. What Divine energy with respect to the world, and 
especially to man, follows immediately upon their creation ? 

A. Divine providence. 

Q. What is Divine providence? 

A. Divine providence is the constant energy of the almighty 
power, wisdom, and goodness of God, by which He preserves 
the being and faculties of His creatures, directs them to good 
ends, and assists all that is good ; but the evil that springs by 
departure from good He either cuts ofP, or corrects it, and turns 
it to good results. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of God^s providence ? 

A. Jesus Christ Himself says ; Behold the fowls of the air, 
for they soiv not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, 
yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them : Are ye not much better 
than they ? Mat. vi. 26. From these words is shewn at once 
God^s general providence over the creatui'es, and His special 
providence over man. 

The whole of the ninety-first Psalm is a description of God^s 
special and manifold providence over man. 

ON THE SECOND ARTICLE. 

Q. How are we to understand the names Jesus Christ, the 
Son of God? 

A. Son of God is the name of the second Person of the 
Holy Trinity in respect of His Godhead : This same Son of 
God was called Jesus, when He was conceived and born on 
earth as man : Christ is the name given Him by the Prophets, 
while they were as yet expecting His advent upon earth. 

Q. What means the name Jesus ? 

A. Saviour. 



i 

! 

56 THE LONGER CATECHISM 

FIRST Q, By whom was tlie name Jesus first ffiven? 

PART. 

— A. By the Angel Gabriel. 

Q. Why was this name given to the Son of God at His 
conception and birth on earth ? 

A. Because He was conceived and born to save men. 
Q. What means the name Christ? 
A. Anointed, 

Q. Whence came the name Anointed? 

A. From the anointing with holy ointment, through which 
are bestowed the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 

Q. Is it only Jesus the Son of God who is called Anointed? 

A. No. Anointed was in old time a title of Kings, High 
Priests, and Prophets. 

Q. Why then is Jesus the Son of God called The Anointed ? 

A. Because to His manhood were imparted without mea- 
sure all the gifts of the Holy Ghost ; and so He possesses in 
the highest degree the knowledge of a Prophet, the holiness 
of a High Priest, and the power of a King. 

Q. In what sense is Jesus Christ called Lord ? 

A. In this sense, that He is very God: for the name Lord 
is one of the names of God. 

Q. What says holy Scripture of the Divinity of Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God? 

A. In the beginning ivas the Word, and the Word was with 
God, and the Word was God. John i. 1. 

Q. Why is Jesus Christ called The Son of God, Only- 
begotten ? 

A. By this is signified, that He only is The Son of God 
begotten of the substance of God the Father ; and so is of one 
substance with the Father ; and consequently excels beyond 
comparison, all holy Angels and holy men, who are called sons 
of God by grace. John i. 12. 

Q. Does holy Scripture call Jesus the Only -begotten? 

A. It does. For instance, in the following places of the 
Evangelist John : The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among 
us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten 
of the Father, full of grace and truth. John i. 14. No man hath 



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57 



seen God at any time : the Only-begotten Son, which is in the 
bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. ib. 18. 

Q. Why in the Creed is it said further of the Son of God 
that He is begotten of the Father ? 

A. By this is expressed that personal property, by which He 
is distinguished from the other Persons of the Holy Trinity. 

Q. Why is it said that He is begotten before all worlds ? 

A. That none should think there was ever a time when He 
was not. In other words, by this is expressed that Jesus 
Christ is the Son of God from everlasting, even as God the 
Father is from everlasting. 

Q. What mean in the Creed the words Light of Light ? 

A. Under the figure of the visible light they in some man- 
ner explain the incomprehensible generation of the Son of 
God from the Father. When we look at the sun, we see 
light : from this light is generated the light visible every 
where beneath : but both the one and the other is one 
light, indivisible, and of one nature. In like manner, God 
the Father is the everlasting Light : 1 John i. 5 : of Him 
is begotten the Son of God, Who also is the everlasting 
Light : but God the Father and God the Son are one and 
the same everlasting Light, indivisible, and of one Divine 
nature. 

Q. What force is there in the words of the Creed, Very 
God of very God ? 

A. This, that the Son of God is called God in the same 
proper sense as God the Father. 

Q. Are not these words from holy Scripture? 

A. Yes. They are taken from the following passage of 
J ohn the Divine : We knoiv that the Son of God is come, and 
hath given us [light and~\ understanding, that we may knoiv the 
true God, and be in Him that is true, in His Son Jesus Christ : 
This is the true God and eternal life. 1 John v. 20. 

Q. Why is it further added of the Son of God in the Creed 
that He is begotten, not made ? 

A. This was added against Arius, who impiously taught 
that the Son of God was made. 



58 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



Q. What mean the words^ Of one substance with the 
Father ? 

A. They mean that the Son of God is of one and the same 
Divine substance with God the Father. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of this ? 

A. Jesus Christ Himself speaks of Himself and of God 
the Father thus : / and the Father are one. John x. 30. 

Q. What is shewn by the next words in the Creed, By 
Whom all things loere made ? 

A. This; that God the Father created all things by His 
Son_, as by His eternal Wisdom and His eternal Word. 

All things were made by Him, and ivithout Him was not any 
thing made which was made. John i. 3. 

ON THE THIRD ARTICLE. 

Q. Of whom is it said in the Creed, that He came down 
from heaven ? 

A. Of the Son of God. 

Q. How came He down from heaven, seeing that as God 
He is every where ? 

A. It is true that He is every where ; and so He is always 
in heaven, and always on earth : but on earth He was before 
invisible ; afterwards He appeared in the flesh : in this sense 
it is said that He came down from heaven. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of this ? 

A. I will repeat Jesus Christ^s own words : No man hath 
ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even 
the Son of man, which is in heaven. John iii. 13. 

Q. Wherefore did the Son of God come down from heaven? 

A. For us men, and for our salvation, as it is said in the 
Creed. 

Q. In what sense is it said that the Son of God came 
down from heaven for us men ? 

A. In this sense, that He came upon earth not for one 
nation nor for some men only, but for us men universally. 

Q. To save men from what did He come upon earth ? 

A. From sin, the curse, and death. 



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59 



Q. What is sin ? 

A. Trangression of the law. Bin is the transgression of the 
law, 1 John iii. 4. 

Q. Whence is sin in men^ seeing that they were created 
in the image of God_, and God cannot sin ? 

A. From the de^dl. He that committeth sin, is of the devil; 
for the devil sinneth from the beginning. 1 John iii. 8. 

Q. How did sin pass from the devil to men? 

A. The devil deceived Eve and Adam, and induced them 
to ti'ansgress God^s commandment. 

Q. What commandment? 

A, God commanded Adam in Paradise not to eat of the 
fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and withal 
told him, that so soon as he ate thereof he should surely die. 

Q. Why did it bring death to man to eat of the fruit of 
the Tree of the knoivledge of good and evil? 

A. Because it involved disobedience to God^s will, and so 
separated man from God and His grace, and alienated him 
from the life of God. 

Q. What propriety is there in the name of the Tree of the 
knoivledge of good and evil ? 

A, Man through this tree came to know by the act 
itself what good there is in obeying the will of God, and what 
evil in disobeying it. 

Q. How could Adam and Eve listen to the devil against 
the will of God? 

A. God of His goodness, at the creation of man, gave him 
a will naturally disposed to love God, but still /ree; and man 
used this fi'eedom for evil. 

Q. How did the devil deceive Adam and Eve ? 

A. Eve saw in Paradise a serpent, which assured her that 
if men ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good 
and evil, they would know good and evil, and would become 
as gods. Eve was deceived by this promise, and by the fair- 
ness of the fruit, and ate of it. Adam ate after her example. 

Q. What came of Adam^s sin ? 

A. The curse, and death. 



60 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST Q- What is the curse ? ■ 

J. The condemnation of sin by God's jnst judgment, and 
the evil which from sin came upon the earth for the punish- 
ment of men. God said to Adam, Cursed is the ground for 
thy sake. Gen. iii. 17. 

Q. Wliat is the death which came from the sin of Adam ? 

A. It is twofold : bodily, when the body loses the soul which 
quickened it; and spiritual, when the soul loses the grace of 
God, which quickened it with the higher and spiritual life. 

Q. Can the soul then die, as well as the body ? 

A. It can die, but not so as the body. The body, when it 
dies, loses sense, and is dissolved; the soul, when it dies by 
sin, loses spiritual light, joy, and happiness, but is not dis- 
solved nor annihilated, but remains in a state of darkness, 
anguish, and suffering. 

Q. Why did not the first man only die, and not all as now ? 

A. Because all have come of Adam since his infection by sin, 
and all sin themselves. As from an infected source there natu- 
rally flows an infected stream, so from a father infected with 
sin, and consequently mortal, there naturally proceeds a 
posterity infected like him with sin, and like him mortal. 

Q. How is this spoken of in holy Scripture ? 

A. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, 
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, 
Eom. V. 12. 

Q. Had man any benefit from the fruit of the tree of life 
after he had sinned ? 

A. After he had sinned he could no more eat of it, for he 
was driven out of Paradise. 

Q. Had men then any hope left of salvation ? 

A. When our first parents had confessed before God their 
sin, God, of His mercy, gave them a hope of salvation. 

Q. In what consisted this hope ? 

A. God promised, that the seed of the woman should bruise 
the serpenfs head. Gen. iii. 15. 
Q. What did that mean ? 

A. This, that Jesus Christ should overcome the devil who 



or THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



61 



had deceived men, and deliver them from sin, the curse, and 
death . 

Q. Why is Jesus Christ called the seed of the woman ? 

A. Because He was born on earth ivithout man, from the 
Most Holy Yii'gin Mary. 

Q. What benefit was there in this promise ? 

A. This, that from the time of the promise men could 
believe savingly in the Saviour that was to come, even as we 
now believe in the Sa\dour that has come. 

Q. Did people in fact in old time believe in the Saviour 
that was to come ? 

A. Some did, but the greater part forgot God^s promise 
of a Saviour. 

Q. Did not God repeat this promise ? 

A. More than once. For instance, He made to Abraham 
the promise of a Saviour in the following words : In thy seed 
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Gen. xxii. 18. 
The same promise He repeated afterwards to David in the 
following words : I ivill set up thy seed after thee, and I luill 
establish His throne for ever. 2 Kings vii. 12, 13. 

Q. What do we understand by the w^ord Incaimation ? 

A. That the Son of God took to Himself human flesh 
without sin, and was made man, without ceasing to be God. 

Q. Whence is taken the word Incarnation ? 

A, From the words of the Evangelist John ; The Word ivas 
made flesh. John i. 14. 

Q. Why in the Creed, after it has been said of the Son of 
God that He ivas incarnate, is it further added that He ivas 
made man ? 

A. To the end that none should imagine that the Son of 
God took only flesh or a body, but should acknowledge in 
Him a perfect man consisting of body and soul. 

Q. Have we for this any testimony of holy Scripture? 

A. The Apostle Paul writes : There is one Mediator between 
God and men, the man Christ Jesm. 1 Tim. ii. 5. 

Q. And so is there only one nature in Jesus Christ ? 

A. No : there are in Him without separation and without 



62 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST confusion two natures, the Divine and the human, and answer- 
-~ ing to these natures two wills. 

Q. Are there not therefore also two persons ? 

A. No : One per son J God and man together; in one word, 
a God-man. 

Q. What says holy Scripture of the incarnation of the 
Son of God by the Holy Ghost of the Vii-gin Mary? 

A. The Evangehst Luke relates that when the Virgin 
Mary had asked the Angel, who announced to her the con- 
ception of Jesus, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man ? 
the Angel replied to her. The Holy Ghost shall come upon 
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: 
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall 
be called the Son of God. Luke i. 34, 35. 

Q. Who was the Virgin Mary ? 

A, A holy virgin of the lineage of Abraham and David, 
from whose lineage the Saviour, by God^s promise, was to 
come; betrothed to Joseph, a man of the same lineage, in 
order that he might be her guardian ; for she was dedicated 
to God with a vow of perpetual virginity. 

Q. Did the Most Holy Mary remain in fact ever a 
virgin ? 

A, She remained and remains a virgin before the birth, 
during the birth, and after the birth of the Saviour; and 
therefore is called ever-virgin. 

Q. What other great title is there, with which the Orthodox 
Church honours the Most Holy Virgin Mary ? 

A. That of Mother of God. 

Q. Can you shew the origin of this title in holy Scripture? 

A. It is taken from the following words of the Prophet 
Isaiah : Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and 
they shall call His name Immanuel, which being interpreted, is, 
God with us. Isaiah vii. 14; Mat. i. 23. 

So also the righteous EUzabeth calls the Most Holy Virgin 
The Mother of the Lord; which title is all one with that of 
Mother of God. Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my 
Lord should come to me ? Luke i. 43. 



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63 



Q. In what] sense is the Most Holy Virgin called Mother 
of God? 

A. Although Jesus Christ was born of her not after His 
Godhead^ which is eternal, but after the nianhood_, still she is 
rightly called the Mother of God ; because He that was born 
of her was both in the conception itself, and in the birth 
from her, as He ever is, vejy God. 

Q. What thoughts should we have of the exalted dignity 
of the Most Holy Virgin Mary ? 

A. As Mother of the Lord she excels in grace and near- 
ness to God, and so also in dignity, every created being : and 
therefore the Orthodox Church honours her far above the 
cherubim and seraphim. 

Q. What is there further to be remarked of the birth of 
Jesus Christ from the Most Holy Mother of God ? 

A. This, that since this birth was perfectly holy and void 
of sin, it was also without pain : for it was among the 
penalties of sin that God ordained Eve in sorrows to bring 
forth children. J. Damasc. Theol. 1. iv. 14. § 6. 

Q. What tokens had God's providence prepared, that men 
might know the Saviour, when He was born to them ? 

A. Many exact predictions of various circumstances of His 
birth, and life on earth. For instance, the Prophet Isaiah 
foretold that the Saviour should be born of a virgin. Is. vii. 14. 
The Prophet Micah foretold that the Saviour should be born 
in Bethlehem ; and this prophecy the Jews understood even 
before they heard of its fulfilment. Mat. ii. 4 . . 6. The 
Prophet Malachi, after the building of the second temple at 
Jerusalem, foretold that the coming of the Saviour was 
drawing nigh, that He should come to this temple, and that 
before Him should be sent a forerunner like unto the Pro- 
phet Elias, clearly pointing by this to John the Baptist. 
Mai. iii. 1; iv. 5. The Prophet Zachariah foretold the 
triumphal entry of the Saviour into Jerusalem. Zach. ix. 9. 
The Prophet Isaiah with wonderful clearness foretold the 
sufferings of the Saviour. Is. liii. David, in the twenty- 
second Psalm, described the sufferings of the Saviour on the 



64 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST cross with as ffreat exactness as if he had written at the foot 

PART 

of the cross itself. And Daniel, 490 years before, foretold 

the appearance of the Saviour, His death on the cross, and 
the subsequent destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, 
and abohtion of the Old Testament sacrifices. Dan. ix. 

Q. Did men in fact recognise Jesus Christ as the Saviour 
at the time that He was born and lived upon earth ? 

A. Many did recognise Him by various ways. The wise 
men of the East recognised Him by a star, which before His 
birth appeared in the East. The shepherds of Bethlehem 
knew of Him from Angels, who distinctly told them that the 
Saviour was born in the city of David. Simeon and Anna, 
by special revelation of the Holy Ghost, knew Him when He 
was brought, forty days after His birth, into the temple. J ohn 
the Baptist, at the river Jordan, at His baptism, knew Him 
by revelation, by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon Him 
in the form of a dove, and by a voice from heaven from God 
the Father ; This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 
Mat. iii. 17. A like voice was heard of Him by the Apostles 
Peter, James, and John, at the time of His transfiguration on 
the mount; This is My beloved Son, in WJiom I am well pleased ; 
hear Him. Mark ix. 7. Besides this, very many recognised 
Him by the excellence of His doctrine, and especially by the 
miracles which He wrought. 

Q. What miracles did Jesus Christ work ? 

A. People suffering under incurable diseases, and possessed 
by devils, were healed by Him in the twinkling of an eye, by a 
single word, or by the touch of His hand, and even through their 
touching His garment. Once with five, at another time with 
seven loaves He fed in the wilderness several thousand men. 
He walked on the waters, and by a word calmed the storm. He 
raised the dead : the son of the widow of Nain, the daughter 
of J airus, and Lazarus on the fourth day after his death. 

Q. You said that the Son of God was incarnate for our 
salvation : in what way did He effect it ? 

A. By His doctrine. His life, His death, and resurrection. 

Q. What was Christ^s doctrine ? 



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65 



A. The Gospel of the kingdom of God, or, in other words, 
the doctrine of salvation and eternal happiness^ the same that 
is now taught in the Orthodox Church. Mark i. 14j 15. 

Q. How have we salvation by Christ's doctrine ? 

A. When we receive it with all our heart, and walk ac- 
cording to it. For, as the lying words of the devil, received 
by our first parents, became in them the seed of sin and death ; 
so, on the contrary, the true word of Christ, heartily received 
by Christians, becomes in them the seed of a holy and im- 
mortal life. They are, in the words of the Apostle Peter, 
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the 
word of God which liveth and abidethfor ever. 1 Pet. i. 23. 

Q. How have we salvation by Christ^s life? 

A. When we imitate it. For He says, If any one serve Me, 
let him follow Me ; and where I am, there shall also My servant 
be. John xii. 26. 

ON THE FOURTH ARTICLE. 

V 

Q. How came it to pass that Jesus Christ was crucified, 
when His doctrine and works should have moved all to 
reverence Him? 

A. The elders of the Jews and the scribes hated Him, be- 
cause He rebuked their false doctrine and evil live§, and 
envied Him, because the people, which heard Him teach and 
saw His miracles, esteemed Him more than them ; and hence 
they falsely accused Him, and condemned Him to death. 

Q. Why is it said, that Jesus Christ was crucified under 
Pontius Pilate ? 

A. To mark the time when He was crucified. 

Q. Who was Pontius Pilate? 

A. The Roman governor of Judaea, which had become sub- 
ject to the Romans. 

Q. Why is this circumstance worthy of remark ? 

A. Because in it we see the fulfilment of Jacobus prophecy ; 
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from 
betiveen his feet, until Shiloh come ; and He is the desire of the 
nations. Gen. xhx. 10. 



66 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST Q. Why is it not only said in the Creed that Jesus Christ 

'— was crucified, but also added that He suffered 7 

A.. To shew that His crucifixion was not only a semblance 
of suffering and death, as some heretics said, biit a real suf- 
fering and death. 

Q. Why is it also mentioned that He was buried? 
A. This likewise is to assure us that He really died, and 
rose again ; for His enemies even set a watch at His sepulchre, 
and sealed it. 

Q. How could Jesus Christ suffer and die, when He was God? 

A. He suffered and died, not in His Godhead, but in His 
manhood; and this not because He could not avoid it, but 
because it pleased Him to suffer. 

He Himself had said ; / lay doiun My life, that I may take 
it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of My- 
self. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it 
again. John x. 17, 18. 

Q. In what sense is it said, that Jesus Christ was crucified 
for us ? 

A. In this sense, that He, by His death on the cross, de- 
livered us from sin, the curse, and death. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of this deliverance ? 

A. Of deliverance from sin; In whom we have redemption 
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches 
of His grace. Ephes. i. 7. 

Of deliverance from the curse; Christ hath redeemed 
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. 
Gal. iii. 13. 

Of deliverance from death ; Forasmuch then as the children 
are partakers of flesh and blood. He also Himself likewise took 
part of the same, that through death He might destroy him that 
had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them, ivho 
through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 
Heb. ii. 14, 15. 

Q. How does the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross 
deliver us from sin, the curse, and death ? 

A. That we may the more readily believe this mystery, the 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



67 



word of God teaches us of it, so mucli as we may be able to 
receive, by the comparison of Jesus Christ with Adam. Adam 
is by nature the head of all mankind, which is one with him 
by natural descent from him. Jesus Christ, in whom the 
Godhead is united with manhood, graciously made Himself 
the new almighty Head of men, whom He unites to Him- 
self through faith. Therefore as in Adam we had fallen under 
sin, the curse, and death, so we are delivered from sin, the 
curse, and death in Jesus Christ. His voluntary suffering 
and death on the cross for us, being of infinite value and 
merit, as the death of one sinless, God and man in one person, 
is both a perfect satisfaction to the justice of God, which had 
condemned us for sin to death, and a fund of infinite merit, 
which has obtained him the right without prejudice to justice, 
to give us sinners pardon of our sins, and grace to have 'vdctory 
over sin and death. 

God hath loilled to make known to His saints, what is the 
riches of the glory of this mystery of the Gentiles, which is 
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col. i. 26, 27. 

For if by one man^s offence death reigned by one, much more 
they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of right- 
eousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Rom. v. 17. 

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in 
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh hut after the spirit. 
For the law of the spirit of life in Chi^ist Jesus hath made me 
free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not 
do, in that it was iveak through the flesh, God sending His own 
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the 
flesh ; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, 
who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Eom. viii. 1 . .4. 

Q. Was it for us all, strictly speaking, that Jesus Christ 
suffered ? 

A. For His part, He offered Himself as a sacrifice strictly 
for all, and obtained for all grace and salvation ; but this 
benefits only those of us, who, for their parts, of their own 
free-will, have fellowship in His sufferings, being made con- 
formable unto His death. Philipp. iii. 10. 

F 2 



68 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST Q. How can we have fellowship in the sufferings and death 
PART, j^g^g Christ ? 

A. We have fellowship in the sufferings and death of Jesus 
Christ through a lively and hearty faith^ through the Sacra- 
ments,, in which is contained and sealed the virtue of His 
saving sufferings and deaths and lastly, through the crucifixion 
of our flesh with its affections and lusts. 

I, says the Apostle, through the law, am dead to the law, that 
I may live unto God. I arn crucified ivith Christ : nevertheless 
I live : yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : and the life which I 
noiv live in the flesh, J live by the faith of the Son of God, who 
loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal. ii. 19, 20. 

Know ye not, that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus 
Christ, were baptized into His death ? E/Om. vi. 3. 

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do 
shew the Lord's death, till He come. 1 Cor. xi. 26. 

They that are Chris fs have crucified the flesh with the affec- 
tions and lusts. Gal. v. 24. 

Q, How can we crucify the flesh with the affections and 
lusts ? 

A. By bridling the affections and lusts, and by doing what 
is contrary to them. For instance, when anger prompts us 
to revile an enemy and to do him harm, but we resist the 
wish, and, remembering how Jesus Christ on the cross prayed 
for His enemies, pray likewise for ours ; we thus crucify the 
affection of anger. 

ON THE FIFTH ARTICLE. 
Q. What is the first proof and earnest given by J esus Christ, 
that His sufferings and death have wrought salvation for us 
men? 

A. This, that He rose again, and so laid the foundation for 
our like blessed resurrection. 

Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits 
of them that slept. 1 Cor. xv. 20. 

Q. What should we think of the state in which Jesus Christ 
was after His death, and before His resurrection ? 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



69 



A. This is described in the following hymn of the Church : 
In the grave as to the flesh, in hades with Thy soul, as God, in 
paradise with the thief, and on the throne wert Thou, O Christ, 
together ivith the Father and the Spirit, filling all things. Thy- 
self iincircumscribed. 

Q. What is hades or hell? 

A. Hades is a Greek word, and means a place void of light. 
In divinity by this name is understood a spiritual prison, that 
is, the state of those spirits which are separated by sin from 
the sight of God^s countenance, and from the light and 
blessedness which it confers. Jude i. 6, Octoich. ton. v., 
Stichir. ii. 4. 

Q. Wherefore did Jesus Christ descend into hell ? 

A. To the end that He might there also preach His victory 
over death, and deliver the souls which with faith awaited 
His coming. 

Q. Does holy Scripture speak of this ? 

A. It is referred to in the following passage : For Christ 
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He 
may bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but 
quickened in the Spirit : in which also He went and preached 
unto the spirits in prison. 1 Pet. iii. 18, 19. 

Q. What is there for us to remark on the next words of 
the Creed; and rose again the third day according to the 
Scripture ? 

A. These words were put into the Creed from the following 
passage in the Epistle to the Corinthians : For I delivered 
unto you flrst of all that which I also received, how that Christ 
died for our sins, according to the Scripture ; and that He was 
buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the 
Scripture. I Cor. xv. 3, 4. 

Q. What force is there in these words, according to the 
Scripture ? 

A. By this is shewn, that Jesus Christ died and rose again, 
precisely as had been written of Him prophetically in the 
books of the Old Testament. 

Q. Where, for instance, is there any thing written of this ? 



70 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



rngT A. In the fifty-third chapter of the book of the Prophet 

Isaiah, for instance, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ 

is imaged forth with many particular traits ; as, He tvas 
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our 
iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him ; and 
with His stripes we are healed, liii. 5. 

Of the resurrection of Christ the Apostle Peter quotes the 
words of the sixteenth Psalm : For why ? Thou shalt not leave 
My soul in hell, neither shalt Thou suffer Thy holy one to see 
corruption. Acts ii. 27. 

Q. Is this also in the Scripture of the Old Testament, that 
Jesus Christ should rise again precisely on the third day ? 

A. A prophetic type of this was set forth in the Prophet 
Jonah : And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and 
three nights. Jon. i. 17. 

Q. How was it known that Jesus Christ had risen? 

A. The soldiers who watched His sepulchre knew this 
with terror, because an angel of the Lord roUed away the 
stone which closed His sepulchre, and at the same time 
there was a great earthquake. Angels likewise announced 
the resurrection of Christ to Mary Magdalene and some 
others. Jesus Christ Himself on the very day of His resur- 
rection appeared to many ; as to the women bringing spices, 
to Peter, to the two disciples going to Emmaus, and lastly, 
to all the Apostles in the house, the doors being shut. After- 
wards He oft-times shewed Himself to them during the space 
of forty days ; and one day. He was seen of more than five 
hundred believers at once. 1 Cor. xv. 6. 

Q. Why did Jesus Christ after His resurrection shew Him- 
self to the Apostles during the space of forty days ? 

A. During this time He continued to teach them the 
mysteries of the kingdom of God. Acts i. 3. 

ON THE SIXTH ARTICLE. 

Q. Is the statement of our Lord's ascension in the sixth 
article of the Creed taken from holy Scripture ? 

A. It is taken from the following passages of holy Scrip- 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



71 



ture : He that descended is the same also that ascended up far on 

FAIT] 

above all heavens, that He might fill all things. Eph. iv. 10. 

JVe have such a High-Priest, who is set on the right hand of 
the throne of the majesty in the heavens. Heb. viii. 1. 

Q. Was it in His Godhead or His manhood that Jesus 
Christ ascended into heaven ? 

A. In His manhood. In His Godhead He ever was and is 
in heaven. 

Q. How does Jesus Christ sit at the right hand of God the 
Father, seeing that God is every where ? 

A. This must be understood spiritually; that is, Jesus 
Christ has one and the same majesty and glory with God 
the Father. 



ON THE SEVENTH ARTICLE. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of Christ^s coming again? 

A. This Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall 
so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven. 
Acts i. 11. This was said to the Apostles by angels at the 
very time of our Lord^s ascension. 

Q. How does it speak of His future judgment ? 

A. The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the 
graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and shall come 
fo7'th; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, 
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damna- 
tion. John V. 28, 29. These are the words of Christ Himself. 

Q. How does it speak of His kingdom which is to have 
no end? 

A. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the 
Highest : and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of 
His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for 
ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. Luke i. 32, 33. 
These are the words of the angel to the Mother of God. 

Q. Will the second coming of Christ be like His first ? 

A. No, very different. He came to suffer for us in great 
humility, but He shall come to judge us in His glory, and all 
the holy angels with Him. Mat. xxv. 31. 



72 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



™?T Q. Will He judge all men? 

A. Yes. All without exception. 
Q. How will He judge them? 

A. The conscience of every man shall be laid open before 
all, and not only all deeds which he has ever done in his 
whole life upon earth be revealed, but also all the words he 
has spoken, and all his secret wishes and thoughts. The 
Lord shall come, vjho will bring to light the hidden things of 
darkness, and ivill make manifest the counsels of the heart : and 
then shall every man have praise of God. 1 Cor. iv. 5. 

Q. Will He then condemn us even for evil words or 
thoughts ? 

A. Without donbt He will, unless we eflPace them by 
repentance, faith, and amendment of life. / say unto you, 
that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give 
account thereof in the day of judgment. Mat. xii. 36. 

Q. Will Jesus Christ soon come to judgment ? 

A. We know not. Therefore we should live so as to be 
always ready. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as 
some men count slackness ; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not 
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repent- 
ance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. 
2 Pet. iii. 9, 10. Watch, therefore, for ye knoiv neither the day 
nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Mat. xxv. 13. 

Q. Are there not however revealed to us some signs of the 
nearer approach of Christ^s coming ? 

A. In the word of God certain signs are revealed, as the 
decrease of faith and love among men, the abounding of 
iniquity and calamities, the preaching of the Gospel to all 
nations, and the coming of antichrist. Mat. xxiv. 

Q. '^\\'dX\% Antichrist? 

A. An adversary of Christ, who will strive to overthrow 
Christianity, but instead of doing so shall himself come to a 
fearful end. 2 Thess. ii. 8. 

Q. What is Christ's kingdon^ 

A. Christ^s kingdom is, nrst, the whole world; secondly, 
all behevers upon earth ; thirdly, all the blessed in heaven. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 73 

The first is called the kingdom of nature, the second the OX 
kingdom of grace, the third the kingdom of gloi^y. 

Q. Which of these is meant when it is said in the Creed, 
that of Christ's kingdom there shall be no end ? 

A. The kingdom of glory. 

ON THE EIGHTH AETICLE. 

Q. In what sense is the Holy Ghost called the Lord? 

A. In the same sense as the Son of God, that is, as very God. 

Q. Is this witnessed by holy Scripture ? 

A. It is plain from the words spoken by the Apostle Peter 
to rebuke Ananias : Why hath Satan filled thine heart, to lie 
to the Holy Ghost ? and further on, Thou hast not lied unto 
men, but unto God. Acts y. 3, 4. 

Q. What are we to understand by this, that the Holy 
Ghost is called the giver of life ? 

A. That He, together with God the Father and the Son, 
giveth life to all creatures, especially spiritual life to men. 

Except a man be born of ivater and of the Spirit, he cannot 
enter into the kingdom of God. John iii. 5. 

Q. Whence know we that the Holy Ghost p7vceedeth from 
the Father ? 

A. This we know from the following words of Jesus Christ 
Himself: But when the Comforter is come, ivhom I will send 
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of tridh, which pro- 
ceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me. John xv. 26. 

Q. Does the doctrine of the procession of the Holy Ghost 
from the Father admit of any change or supplement ? 

A. No. First, because the Orthodox Church, in this doc- 
trine, repeats the very words of Jesus Christ ; and His words, 
without doubt, are an exact and perfect expression of the 
truth. Secondly, because the second (Ecumenical Council, 
whose chief object was to establish the true doctrine respect- 
ing the Holy Ghost, has without doubt sufficiently set forth 
the same in the Creed ; and th : Catholic Church has acknow- 
ledged this so decidedly, that the thjud GEcumenical Council 
in its seventh canon forbade the composition of any new Creed. 



74 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FiKST I^or this cause John Damascene writes ; Of the Holy Ghost, 
we both say that He is from the Father, and call Him the Spirit 
of the Father ; while we no tvise say that He is from the Son, 
but only call Him the Spirit of the Son. Theol. lib. i. c. ii. v. 4. 

Q. Whence does it appear that the Holy Ghost is equally 
with the Father and the Son, and together with them^ to be wor- 
shipped and glorified ? 

A. It appears from this, that Jesus Chi'ist commanded to 
baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Mat. xxviii. 19. 

Q. Why is it said in the Creed that the Holy Ghost spake 
by the prophets? 

A. This is said against certain heretics, who taught that 
the books of the Old Testament were not wiitten by the 
Holy Ghost. 

Q. Does holy Scripture witness that the Holy Ghost 
really spake by the prophets ? 

A. The Apostle Peter writes ; For prophecy came not in old 
time by the will of man ; but holy men of God spake as they 
were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Pet. i. 21. 

Q. Did not the Holy Ghost speak also by the Apostles ? 

A. Certainly He did. Unto the prophets, says also the Apo- 
stle Peter, it ivas revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us 
they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by 
them that have preached the Gospel unto you by the Holy Ghost 
sent down from heaven. 1 Pet. i. 12. 

Q. Why then is there no mention of the Apostles in the 
Creed? 

A. Because when the Creed was composed none doubted 
of the inspiration of the Apostles. 

Q. Was not the Ploly Ghost manifested to men in some 
very special manner ? 

A. Yes. He came down upon the Apostles in the form of 
fiery tongues/ on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of 
Jesus Christ. 

Q. Is the Holy Ghost communicated to men even now 
likewise ? 



OP THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



75 



A. He is communicated to all true Christians. Kno7/^ ye ON 

FAIT] 

not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God 

dwelleth in you ? 1 Cor. iii. 16. 

Q. How may we be made partakers of the Holy Ghost ? 

A. Through fervent prayer, and through the Sacraments. 

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
children, hoio much more shall your heavenly Father give the 
Holy Spirit to them that ask Him ? Luke xi. 13. 

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour 
toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness ivhich we 
have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the 
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, ivhich 
He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. 
Tit. iii. 4 . . 6. 

Q. What are the chief gifts of the Holy Ghost ? 

A. The chief and more general are, as reckoned by the 
Prophet Isaiah, the following seven ; the spirit of the fear of 
God, the spirit of knowledge, the spirit of might, the spirit 
of counsel, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of wisdom, 
the spirit of the Lord, or the gift of piety and inspiration and 
in the highest degree. Isaiah xi. 2. 

ON THE NINTH ARTICLE. 
Q. What is the Church ? 

A, The Church is a divinely instituted community of men, 
united by the orthodox faith, the law of God, the hierarchy, 
and the Sacraments. 

Q. What is it to believe in the Church ? 

A. It is piously to honour the true Church of Christ, and to 
obey her doctrine and commandments, from a conviction that 
grace ever abides in her, and works, teaches, and governs 
unto salvation, flowing from her One only everlasting Head, 
the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Q. How can the Church, which is visible, be the object of 
faith, when faith, as the Apostle says, is the evidence of things 
not seen ? 

A. First, though the Church be visible, the grace of God 



76 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIE ST wTiicli dwells in lier_, and in those who are sanctified in her, is 

PART 

— not so; and this it is which properly constitutes the object of 

faith in the Church. 

Secondly, the Church, though visible so far as she is upon 
earth, and contains all Orthodox Christians living upon earth, 
still is at the same time invisible, so far as she is also partially 
in heaven, and contains all those that have departed hence 
in true faith and holiness. 

Q. On what may we ground the idea that the Church is at 
once upon earth and in heaven ? 

A. On the following words of the Apostle Paul, addressed 
to Christians : Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city 
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumer- 
able company of angels, to the general assembly and Church of 
the first-born ivhich are written in heaven, and to God the 
Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to 
Jesus Christ the mediator of the new covenant. Heb. xii. 22.24. 

Q. How are we assured that the grace of God abides in 
the true Church ? 

A. First, by this, that her Head is Jesus Christ, God and 
man in one person, full of grace and truth, who fills His body 
also, that is, the Church, with like grace and truth. John 
i. 14, 17. 

Secondly, by this, that He has promised His disciples the 
Holy Ghost to abide with them for ever, and that, according 
to this promise, the Holy Ghost appoints the pastors of the 
Church. John xiv. 16. 

The Apostle Paul says of Jesus Christ, that God the Father 
gave Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is 
His body. Eph. i. 22, 23. The same Apostle says to the 
pastors of the Church; Take heed therefore unto yourselves^ 
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made 
you Bishops, to feed the Church of our Lord and God, which 
He hath purchased with His oivn blood. Acts xx. 28. 

Q. How are we further assured that the grace of God abides 
in the Church even till now, and shall abide in it to the end 
of the world. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



77 



A. Of this we are assured by the following sayings of Jesus 
Christ Himself and His Apostle : / will build My Church, and 
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Mat. xvi. 18. 
/ am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 
Mat. xxviii. 20. Unto Him, God the Father, be glory in the 
Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end 
Amen. Eph. iii. 21 » 

Q, Why is the Church one ? 

A. Because she is one spiritual Body, has one Head, Christ, 
and is animated by one Spirit of God. There is one body and 
one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; 
one Lord, one faith, one baptism ; one God and Father of all, 
Eph. iv. 4 . . 6. 

Q. Are we still more expressly assured that Jesus Christ 
is the one only Head of the one Church ? 

A. The Apostle Paul writes, that for the Church, as the 
building of God, other foundation can no man lay than that is 
laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. iii. 10, 11. Wherefore 
the Church, as the Body of Christ, can have no other Head 
than Jesus Christ. 

The Church being to abide through all generations of time 
needs also an ever-abiding Head; and such is Jesus Christ alone. 

Wherefore also, the Apostles take no higher title than that 
oi ministers of the Church. Col. i. 24, 25. 

Q. What duty does the unity of the Church lay on us? 

A. That of endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in 
the bond of peace. Eph. iv. 3. 

Q. How does it agree with the unity of the Church, that 
there are many separate and independent Churches, as those 
of J erusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, Russia ? 

A. These are particular Churches, or parts of the one Catholic 
Church : the separateness of their visible organization does 
not hinder them from being all spiritually great members of 
the one body of the Universal Church, from having one Head, 
Christ, and one spirit of faith and grace. This unity is ex- 
pressed outwardly by unity of Creed, and by communion in 
Prayer and Sacraments. 



78 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST Q. Is there likewise unity between the Clmrch on earth, 

PART 

'— and the Church in heaven ? 

A. Doubtless there is, both by their common relation to 
one Head, our Lord Jesus Christ, and by mutual communion 
with one another. 

Q. What means of communion has the Church on earth 
with the Church in heaven ? 

A. The prayer of faith and love. The faithful who belong 
to the Church militant upon earth, in offering their prayers 
j to God, call at the same time to their aid the Saints who be- 
J long to the Church in heaven ; and these, standing on the 
/ f i highest steps of approach to God, by their prayers and inter- 
cessions purify, strengthen, and offer before God the prayers 
of the faithful living upon earth, and by the will of God work 
graciously and beneficently upon them, either by invisible 
virtue, or by distinct apparitions, and in divers other ways. 

Q. On what is grounded the rule of the Church upon earth 
to invoke in prayer the Saints of the Church in heaven ? 

A. On a holy tradition, the principle of which is to be 
seen also in holy Scripture. For instance, when the Prophet 
David cries out in prayer, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and 
of Israel our fathers ; he makes mention of Saints in aid of 
his prayer, exactly as now the Orthodox Church calls upon 
Christ our true God, by the prayers of His most pure Mother 
and all His Saints. See 1 Chron. xxix. 18. 

Cyril of Jerusalem in his explanation of the Divine Liturgy 
says ; We make mention also of those who are before departed, 
first, of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs, that 
by their entreaties and intercession God may receive our 
prayers. Cat. Myst. v. c. 9. 

Basil the Great, in his sermon on the day of the Forty Holy 
Martyrs, says ; Whoever is afflicted has recourse to the Forty, 
and whoever is joyful runs to the same ; the one that he may find 
relief from his sorrows, the other that he may keep his happiness. 
Here the pious wife is to be seen praying for her children: another 
asks the return of her absent husband: another the restoration of 
health to the sick. Yes. Let your petitions be with the Martyrs. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



79 



Q. Is there any testimony of holy Scripture to the medi- on 



FAITH. 



atory prayer of the Saints in heaven? 

A. The Evangelist John, in the Revelation, saw in heaven 
an Angel, to whom was given much incense, that he should cm - < 
offer it, by the prayers of all Saints, upon the golden altar which ^ 
was before the throne ; and the smoke of the incense ascended n-^it^ / 
up by the prayers of the Saints out of the hands of the Angel --^l^ni^' 
before God. Rev. viii. 3, 4. 

Q. Is there any testimony of holy Scripture to beneficent 
apparitions of Saints from heaven ? 

A. The Evangelist St. Matthew relates, that after the death 
of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross, many bodies of the 
Saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves, after His 
resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 
Mat. xxvii. 52, 53. And since a miracle so great could not 
be without some adequate end, we must suppose that the 
Saints which then arose appeared for this, that they might 
announce the descent of Jesus Christ into hell, and His 
triumphant resurrection; and so move men born in the Church 
of the Old Testament to pass over the more readily into that 
of the New, then opened. 

Q. What testimonies are there to confirm us in the belief 
that the Saints, after their departure, work miracles through 
certain earthly means ? 

A. The fourth book of Kings testifies that by touching the 
bones of the Prophet Elisha a dead man was raised to life. 
4 Kings xiii. 21. 

The Apostle Paul not only in his own immediate person 
wrought healings and miracles, but the same was done also in 
his absence by handkerchiefs and aprons taken from his body. 
Acts xix. 12. By this example we may understand that the 
Saints, even after their deaths, may in like manner work 
beneficently through earthly means, which have received 
from them holy virtue. 

Gregory the Divine in his first discourse against Julian 
says; Thou reverencedst not the sacrifices offered for Christ, 
norfearedst the great athletes, John, Peter, Paul, James, Stephen, 



80 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST Luke, Andrew, Thecla, and the rest, ivho before and after these 
^ suffered for the truth; who withstood both fire, and sword, the tor- 
turers, and all sufferings present or threatened, as if their bodies 
were not their oivn, or they had had no bodies at all. For what ? 
That they might not, so much as by a word, betray their religion. 
To whom also great honours and triumphs are with just reason 
awarded : By ivhom devils are expelled, and diseases healed: 
TVho appear in visions ; and prophecy : Whose very bodies, 
though separate, when touched or reverenced, have like power 
with their holy souls ; and drops ofivhose blood, those least tokens 
of their suffering, like power with their bodies. 

J olin Damascene writes thus : The relics of the Saints have 
been given us by our Lord Christ as salutary springs, from which 
manifold blessings flow. And as if in explanation of this, he 
remarks, that through the mind their bodies also were inhabited 
of God. Theol. lib. iv. cap. xv. 3, 4. 
Q. Why is the Church holy ? 

A. Because she is sanctified by Jesus Christ through His 
passion, through His doctrine, through His prayer, and through 
the Sacraments. Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself 
'for it ; that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it with the 
washing of water by the word, that He might present it to 
Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any 
such thing, but that it should be holy, and without blemish. 
Eph. V. 25 . . 27. 

In His prayer to God the Father for believers, Jesus Christ 
said amongst other things : Sanctify them through Thy truth: 
Thy word is truth. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that 
they also may be sanctified in truth. John xvii. 17, 19. 

Q. How is the Church holy, when she has in her sinners ? 

A. Men who sin, but purify themselves by true repentance, 
hinder not the Church from being holy ; but impenitent sin- 
ners, either by the visible act of Church authority, or by the 
invisible judgment of God, are cut ofi" from the body of the 
Church: and so she is in respect of these also kept holy. 

Put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 
1 Cor. V. 13. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



81 



having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, 
Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 
2 Tim. ii. 19. 

Q. Why is the Church called Catholic, or, which is the same 
thing, Universal? 

A. Because she is not limited to any place, nor time, nor 
people, but contains true believers of all places, times, and 
peoples. 

The Apostle Paul says that the loord of the gospel is in all 
the world ; and bringeth forth fruit. Coloss. i. 5, 6. and that 
in the Christian Church there is neither Greek nor Jew, cir- 
cumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian nor Scythian, bond 
nor free : but Christ is all, and in all. ib. iii. 11. They 
which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Gal. iii. 9. 

Q. What great privilege has the Catholic Church ? 

A. She alone has the sublime promises that the gates of 
hell shall not prevail against her ; that the Lord shall be with 
her even to the end of the world; that in her shall abide the 
glory of God in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever ; 
and consequently that she shall never apostatize from the 
faith, nor sin against the truth of the faith, or fall into 
error. 

We undoubtingly confess as sure truth, that the Catholic 
Church cannot sin, or err, nor utter falsehood in place of truth : 
for the Holy Ghost ever working through His faithful ministers 
the Fathers and Doctors of the Church preserves her from all 
error. Missive of the Eastern Patriarchs on the Orthodox 
Faith. Art. 12. 

Q. If the Catholic Church contains all true believers in the 
world, must we not acknowledge it to be necessary for salva- 
tion, that every believer should belong to her ? 

A. Exactly so. Since Jesus Christ, in the words of St. Paul, 
is the Head of the Church, and He is the Saviour of the Body ; 
it follows that to have part in His salvation, we must neces- 
sarily be members of His Body, that is of the Catholic 
Church. Ephes. v. 23. 

The Apostle. Peter writes that baptism saveth us after the 



82 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST figure of the ark of Noah. All who were saved from the general 
deluge^ were saved only in the ark ; so all who obtain ever- 
lasting salvation, obtain it only in the one Catholic Church. 

Q. What thoughts and remembrances should we associate 
with the name of The Eastern Church ? 

A. In Paradise, planted in the East, was founded the first 
Church of our Parents in innocence ; and in the East, after 
the fall, was laid a new foundation of the Church of the re- 
deemed, in the promise of a Saviour. In the East, in the 
land of Judea, our Lord Jesus Christ having finished the 
work of our salvation, laid the foundation of His own proper 
Christian Church ; from thence she spread herself over the 
whole universe ; and to this day the Orthodox Catholic QEcu- 
menical faith, confirmed by the seven QEcumenical Councils, 
is preserved unchanged in its original purity in the ancient 
Churches of the East, and in such as agree with them, as does 
by God's grace the Church of Russia. 

Q. Why is the Church called Apostolic ? 

A. Because she has from the Apostles without break or 
change both her doctrine and the succession of the gifts of 
the Holy Ghost, through the lajdng on of consecrated hands. 
In the same sense the Church is called also Orthodox, or 
Rightly -believing . 

Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, hut fellow-citizens 
with the Saints, and of the household of God ; and are huilt on 
the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself 
being the chief corner-stone. Ephes. ii. 19, 20. 

Q. What does the Creed teach us, when it calls the Church 
Apostolic ? 

A. It teaches us to hold fast the Apostolical doctrine and 
tradition, and eschew such doctrine and such teachers, as are 
not warranted by the doctrine of the Apostles. 

The Apostle Paul says. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and 
hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, 
or our epistle. 2 Thess. ii. 15. A man that is an heretic after 
the first and second admonition reject. Tit. iii. 10. For there 
are many unruly, vain talkers, and deceivers, especially they of 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



83 



the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped; who subvert 
whole houses, teaching things ichich they ought not, for filthy 
lucre's sake. Tit. i. 10^ 11. But if thj brother neglect to hear 
the Church, let him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican. 
Mat. xviii. 17. 

Q. What Ecclesiastical Institution is there through which 
the succession of the Apostolical ministry is preserved ? 
A. The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. 

Q. Whence originates the Hierarchy of the Orthodox 
Christian Church ? 

A. From Jesus Christ Himself, and from the descent of the 
Holy Ghost on the Apostles ; from which time it is continued 
in unbroken succession, through the laying on of hands, in the 
sacrament of Orders. And He gave some, Apostles ; and some, 
Prophets; and some. Evangelists; and some Pastors and 
Teachers ; for the perfecting of the Saints, for the loork of the 
ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Eph. iv. 11, 12. 

Q. What hierarchical authority is there, which can extend 
its sphere of action over the whole Catholic Chm-ch ? 

A. An CEcumenical Council. 

Q. Under what hierarchical authority are the chief divisions 
of the Catholic Church ? 

A. Under the Orthodox Patriarchs, and the Most Holy Synod. 

Q. Under what ecclesiastical authority are lesser orthodox 
provinces and cities? 

A. Under Metropolitans, Archbishops, and Bishops. 

Q. What rank in the hierarchy is held by the Most Holy 
Synod ? 

A. The same rank with the Most Holy Orthodox Patriarchs. 
See the Letters of the M. H. Patriarchs on the institution of 
the M. H. Synod. 

Q. If any one desire to fulfil his duty of obedience to the 
Church, how may he learn what she requires of her children ? 

A. This may be learned from holy Scripture, from the canons 
of the holy Apostles, the holy CEcumenical and Provincial 
Councils, and the holy Fathers, and from the Books of Eccle- 
siastical Rules and Rubrics. 

g2 



84 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST 

PART. ON THE TENTH ARTICLE. 

Q. Why does the Creed mention Baptism ? 
A. Becanse faith is sealed by Baptism, and the other 
Mysteries or Sacraments. 

Q. What is a Mystery or Sacrament ? 

A. A Mystery or Sacrament is a holy act^ through which 
grace, or_, in other words, the saving power of God, works 
mysteriously npon man. 

Q. How many are the Sacraments ? 

A. Seven: 1. Baptism; 2. Unction with Chrism ; 3. Com- 
munion; 4. Penitence; 5. Orders; 6. Matrimony; 7. Unction 
with Oil. 

Q. What ^drtue is there in each of these Sacraments ? 
A. 1. In Baptism man is mysteriously born to a spiritual 
life. 

2. In Unction with Chrism he receives a grace of spiritual 
growth and strength. 

3. In the Communion he is spiritually fed. 

4. In Penitence he is healed of spiritual diseases, that is, 
of sin. 

5. In Orders he receives grace spiritually to regenerate, 
feed, and nurture others, by doctrine and Sacraments. 

6. In Matrimony he receives a grace sanctifying the married 
life, and the natural procreation and nurture of children. 

7. In Unction with Oil he has medicine even for bodily 
diseases, in that he is healed of spiritual. 

Q. But why does not the Creed mention all these Sacra- 
ments, instead of mentioning Baptism only ? 

A. Because Baptism was the subject of a question, whether 
some people, as heretics, ought not to be rebaptized; and this 
required a decision, which so came to be put into the Creed. 

ON BAPTISM. 
Q. What is Baptism ? 

A. Baptism is a Sacrament, in which a man who believes, 
having his body thrice plunged in w^ater in the name of God 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



85 



the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, dies to the carnal 
life of sin, and is born again of the Holy Ghost to a life spiri- 
tual and holy. Except a man he horn of water and of the Spirit, 
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John iii. 5» 
Q. When and how began Baptism ? 

A. First, John baptized with the baptism of repentance , 
saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which 
should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. Acts xix. 4. 
Afterwards, Jesus Christ by His own example sanctified 
Baptism, when He received it from John. Lastly, after His 
resurrection. He gave the Apostles this solemn command- 
ment; Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
Mat. xxviii. 19. 

Q. What is most essential in the administration of 
Baptism ? 

A. Trine immersion in water, in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 

Q. What is required of him that seeks to be baptized ? 

A. Bepentance, and faith; for which cause also before 
Baptism they recite the Creed. Repent, and be baptized 
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 
ii. 38. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved. 
Mark xvi. 16. 

Q. But why then are children baptized ? 

A. For the faith of their parents and sponsors, who are 
also bound to teach them the faith, so soon as they are of an 
age to learn. 

Q. How can you shew from holy Scripture that we ought 
to baptize infants ? 

A. In the time of the Old Testament infants were circum- 
cised when eight days old ; but Baptism in the New Testa- 
ment takes the place of circumcision ; consequently infants 
should also be baptized. 

Q. Whence does it appear that Baptism takes the place of 
circumcision ? 



86 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST A. From the following words of the Apostle to believers : 

PAET. 

— Ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, 

in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circum- 
cision of Christ, buried with Him in Baptism. Coloss. ii. 11, 12. 

Q. Why are there sponsors at Baptism ? 

A. In order that they may stand sureties before the 
Church for the faith of the baptized, and after Baptism may 
take him in charge, to confirm him in the faith. See Dion. 
Areop. on the Eccl. Hier. c. ii. 

Q. Why before baptizing do we use exorcism ? 

A, To drive away the devil, who since Adam^s fall has 
had access to men, and power over them, as his captives 
and slaves. 

The Apostle Paul says, that all men, without grace, walk 
according to the course of this world, according to the prince 
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the 
children of disobedience. Ephes. ii. 2. 

Q. Wherein lies the force of exorcism ? 

A. In the name of Jesus Christ, invoked with prayer and 
faith. Jesus Christ gave to believers this promise. In My 
name shall they cast out devils. Mark xvi. 17. 

Q. What force has the sign of the cross used on this and 
other occasions ? 

A. What the name of Jesus Christ crucified is when pro- 
nounced with faith by motion of the lips, the very same is 
also the sign of the cross when made with faith by motion of 
the hand, or represented in any other way. 

Cyril of J erusalem writes ; Let us not be ashamed to confess 
the Crucified ; let us boldly make the sign of the Cross on the 
forehead, and on every thing ; on the bread which we eat ; on 
the cups from which we drink ; let us make it at our going out, 
and coming in ; when we lie down to sleep, and when we rise, 
when we journey, and when we rest : It is a great safeguard, 
given to the poor without price, to the weak without labour. 
For this is the grace of God,- a token for the faithful, and a 
terror for evil spirits. Cat. Lect. xiii. 36. 

Q. Whence have we the use of the sign of the Cross ? 



or THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



87 



A. From the very times of the Apostles. See Dion. Areop. 
on the Eccl. Hier. c. ii., and v. also Tertull. de Coron. cap. 
iii._, de Resurr. cap. viii. 

Q. What means the white garment which is put on after 
Baptism ? 

A. The purity of the soul, and of the Christian life. 

Q. Why do they hang upon the baptized a Cross ? 

^. As a visible expression and continual remembrance of 
Christ^s command; If any man will come after Me^ let him 
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Mat.xvi. 24. 

Q. What means the procession of the baptized round the 
font with a light ? 

A. Spiritual joy, joined with spiritual illumination. 

Q. How is this to be understood, that in the Creed we are 
made to confess one Baptism ? 

A. In this sense, that Baptism cannot be repeated. 

Q. Why cannot Baptism be repeated ? 

A. Baptism is spiritual birth : a man is born but once ; 
therefore he is also baptized but once. 

Q. What is to be thought of those, who sin after Bap- 
tism? 

A. That they are more guilty in their sins than the un- 
baptized, since they had from God special help to do well, and 
have thrown it away. 

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world 
through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 
they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is 
worse with them than the beginning. 2 Pet. ii. 20. 

Q. But is there not any way even for such as have sinned 
after Baptism to obtain pardon? 

A. There is. Penitence. 

ON UNCTION WITH CHRISM. 
Q. What is Unction with Chrism ? 

A. Unction with chrism is a Sacrament, in which the 
baptized believer, being anointed with holy chrism on certain 
parts of the body, in the name of the Holy Ghost, receives 



88 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



pSrr ^^^^^ Holy Ghost for growth and strength in 
spiritual life. 

Q. Is this Sacrament mentioned in holy Scripture ? 

A. The inward grace of this Sacrament is spoken of by 
the Apostle John, as follows : But ye Jiave an unction fy^om the 
Holy Onej and ye know all things. And the anointing which 
ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that 
any man teach you ; but as the same anointing teacheth you of 
all things, and is truth, and is no lie; and even as it hath 
taught you, abide therein. 1 John ii. 20_, 27. 

In like manner the Apostle Paul also says ; Noiv He which 
stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God : 
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in 
our hearts, 2 Cor. i. 21, 22. 

Hence are taken the words pronounced at the Unction, 
The seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Q. Is the outward form of Unction with Chrism mentioned 
in holy Scripture ? 

A. It may well be suppose! that the words of St. John refer 
to a visible as well as to an inward unction ; but it is more 
certain, that the Apostles, for imparting to the baptized the 
gifts of the Holy Ghost, used imposition of hands. Acts viii. 
14, 16. The successors of the Apostles, however, in place of 
this, introduced unction with chrism, drawing, it may be, their 
precedent from the unction used in the Old Testament. 
Exod. XXX. 25 ; 3 Kings i. 39 ; Dion. Areop. de Eccl. Hier. 
cap. iv. 

Q. What is to be remarked of the holy Chrism ? 

A. This, that its consecration is reserved to the heads of the 
Hierarchy, as successors of the Apostles, who used the laj^ng on 
of their own hands to communicate the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 

Q. What is specially signified by anointing the forehead? 

A. The sanctification of the mind, or thoughts. 

Q. What by anointing the chest ? 

A. The sanctification of the heart, or desires. 

Q. What by anointing the eyes, ears, and lips ? 

A. The sanctification of the senses. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



89 



Q. What by anointing the hands and feet ? 
A. The sanctification of the works, and whole walk of the 
Christian. 

ON THE COMMUNION. 
Q. What is the Communion 7 

A. The Communion is a Sacrament, in which the believer, 
under the forms of bread and wine, partakes of the very Body 
and Blood of Christ, to everlasting life. 

Q. How was this Sacrament instituted ? 

A. J esus Christ immediately before His passion consecrated 
it for the first time, exhibiting in it by anticipation a lively 
image of His sufferings for our salvation ; and after having 
administered it to the Apostles, He gave them at the same time 
a commandment ever after to perpetuate this Sacrament. 

Q. What is to be noticed of the Sacrament of the Com- 
munion in regard to Divine Service in the Church ? 

A, This, that it forms the chief and most essential part of 
Divine Service. 

Q. What is the name of that Service, in which the Sacra- 
ment of the Communion is consecrated ? 

A. The Liturgy. 

Q. What means the word Liturgy ? 

A. Common service : but the name Liturgy is specially 
appropriated to that Divine Service, in which the Sacrament 
of the Communion is consecrated. 

Q. What is to be noted of the place, where the Liturgy is 
celebrated ? 

A, It must always be consecrated in a temple, the table in 
which, or at least, if there be no such table, the antimense on 
which the Sacrament is consecrated, must have been conse- 
crated by a Bishop. 

Q. Why is the temple called a church ? 

A. Because the faithful, who compose the Church, meet in 
it for prayer and Sacraments. 

Q. Why is the table, on which the Sacrament of the Com- 
munion is consecrated, called the throne ? 



90 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST A. Because on it Jesus Christ, as King, is mystically 

PART. 

present. 

Q. What general order of parts may be remarked in the 
Liturgy ? 

A. This, that first the elements are prepared for the Sacra- 
ment j secondly, the faithful are prepared for the Sacrament ; 
lastly, the Sacrament itself is consecrated. 

Q. What is the name for that part of the Liturgy, in which 
the elements are prepared for the Sacrament ? 

A. Proskomide, TrpocrKo/icBr}. 

Q. What is the meaning of the word Proskomide 9 
A. Offertory, 

Q. Why is this name given to the first part of the Litm'gy ? 

A. From the custom of the primitive Christians to ofi'er in 
the Church bread and wine for the celebration of the Sacra- 
ment. On the same account this bread is called prosphora, 
which means oblation. 

Q. In what consists the OflPertory, as a part of the Liturgy ? 

A. In this, that with mention made of the prophecies and 
types, and partly also of the events themselves, relating to the 
birth and sufi^ering of Jesus Christ, a portion is taken from 
the prosphora for use in the Sacrament, and likewise a por- 
tion of wine mixed with water is poured off into the holy 
chalice, while the celebrator makes commemoration of the 
whole Church, honours the glorified Saints, prays for the 
living and the departed, especially for the ruling powers, and 
for those who, of their own faith and zeal, have brought 
prosphorae, or oblations. 

Q. Of what kind should be the bread for the Sacrament ? 

A. Such as the name itself of bread, the hohness of the 
Mystery, and the example of Jesus Christ and the Apostles 
all require ; that is, leavened, pure, wheaten bread. 

Q. What is signified by this, that the bi^ead or loaf which 
is strictly to be used for the Communion is only 07ie ? 

A. It signifies, as the Apostle explains, that we, being 
many, are one bread, and one body ; for we are all partakers 
of that one bread. 1 Cor. x. 17. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



91 



Q. Why is the bread, when prepared for the Communion, ON 
called the Lamb ? 

A, Because it is the figure of Jesus Christ suffering, as 
was in the Old Testament the Paschal Lamb. 

Q. What was the Paschal Lamb ? 

A. The Lamb which the Israelites, by God^s command, 
killed and ate in memory of their deliverance from destruc- 
tion in Egypt. 

Q. Why is the wine for the Sacrament of the Communion 
mixed with water ? 

A. Because the whole of this celebration is ordered so as 
to figure forth the sufferings of Christ ; and when He suffered, 
there flowed from His pierced side blood and water. 

Q. What name has that part of the Liturgy, in which the 
faithful are prepared for the Sacrament ? 

A. The ancients called it the Liturgy of the catechumens ; 
because, besides baptized communicants, the catechumens 
also, who are preparing for Baptism, and the penitents, who 
are not admitted to communion, may be present at it. 

Q. With what does this part of the Liturgy begin ? 

A. With the Blessing, or glorification of the Kingdom of 
the Most Holy Trinity. 

Q. In what consists this part of the Liturgy ? 

A. In prayers, singing, and reading from the books of the 
Apostles, and from the Gospel. 

Q. With what does it end ? 

A, With the order given to the catechumens to go out and 
leave the Church. 

Q. What is the name for that part of the Liturgy, in which 
the Sacrament itself is celebrated and consecrated ? 

A. The Liturgy of the faithful ; because the faithful only, 
that is, the baptized, have the right to be present at this 
Service. 

Q. What is the most essential act in this part of the 
Liturgy? 

A. The utterance of the words which Jesus Christ spake 
in instituting the Sacrament ; Take, eat, this is My Body ; 



93 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST Drink ye all of it, for this is My Blood, of the New Testament ; 
— Mat. xxvi. 36_, 37, 38 ; And after this the invocation of the 

Holy Ghost, and the blessing the gifts, that is, the bread and 

wine, which have been oflPered. 
Q. Why is this so essential? 

A. Because at the moment of this act, the bread and wine 
are changed, or transubstantiated, into the very Body of 
Christ, and into the very Blood of Christ. 

Q. How are we to understand the word transuhstantiation ? 

A. In the exposition of the faith by the Eastern Patriarchs, 
it is said that the word transuhstantiation is not to be taken to 
define the manner in which the bread and wine are changed 
into the Body and Blood of the Lord ; for this none can un- 
derstand but God ; but only thus much is signified, that the 
bread truly, really, and substantially becomes the very true 
Body of the Lord, and the wine the very Blood of the Lord. 
In like manner John Damascene, treating of the Holy and 
Immaculate Mysteries of the Lord, writes thus : // is truly that 
Body united with Godhead, which had its origin from the Holy 
Virgin ; not as though that Body which ascended came down 
from heaven, but because the bread and wine themselves are 
changed into the Body and Blood of God. But if thou seekest 
after the manner how this is, let it suffice thee to be told, that 
it is by the Holy Ghost ; in like manner as, by the same Holy 
Ghost, the Lord formed flesh to Himself, and in Himself, from 
the Mother of God ; nor know I aught more than this, that the 
word of God is true, powerful, and almighty, but its manner of 
operation unsearchable. 1. 4. cap. xiii. 7. 

Q. What is required individually of every one, who 
desires to approach the Sacrament of the Communion ? 

A. To examine his conscience before God, and to cleanse 
it from sin by penitence ; for doing which he has helps in 
fasting and prayer. 

Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, 
and drink of that cup ; for he that eateth and drinketh un- 
worthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not dis- 
cerning the Lord's Body. 1 Cor. xi. 38, 39. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



93 



Q. What benefit does he receive^ who communicates in the 
Body and Blood of Christ ? 

A. He is in the closest manner united to Jesus Christ 
Himself^ and^ in Him^ is made partaker of everlasting life. 

He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth 
in Me, and I in him. John vi. 56. Whoso eateth My Flesh 
and drinketh My Blood, hath eternal life. v. 54. 

Q. Ought we to communicate often in the holy Mysteries ? 

A. The primitive Christians communicated every Lord^s 
Day ; but now few have such purity of life as to be always 
prepared to approach so great a Mystery. Our Mother the 
Church calls on all, who would live religiously, to confess 
before their ghostly Father, and communicate in the Body 
and Blood of Christ, four times yearly, or even every month, 
but requires all without exception to receive it at the least 
once in the year. See Orthod. Confess. P. i. Q. 90. 

Q. What part can they have in the Divine Liturgy, who 
only hear it, without approaching the holy Communion ? 

A. They may and should take part in the Liturgy by 
prayer, and faith, and especially by a continual remembrance 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who expressly has commanded us 
to do this in remembrance of Him. Luke xxii. 19. 

Q. What should we remember at that time in the Liturgy, 
when they make the Procession with the Gospel ? 

A. Jesus Christ appearing to preach the Gospel. So also 
while the Gospel is reading, we should have the same atten- 
tion and reverence, as if we saw and heard Jesus Christ 
Himself. 

Q. What should we remember at that time in the Liturgy, 
when they make the Procession with the Gifts from the table 
of preparation to the altar ? 

A. Jesus Christ going to suffer voluntarily, as a victim to 
the slaughter, while more than twelve legions of Angels were 
ready around to guard Him as their King. 

The King of kings, and Lord of lords, cometh to be 
slaughtered. Hymn for the Liturgy on the Great Sabbath. 

Q. What should we remember at the moment of the con- 



94 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



secration of tlie Sacrament, and while the clergy are commu- 
nicating within the altar ? 

A. The mystical supper of Jesus Christ Himself with His 
Apostles, His suffering, death, and burial. 

Q. What is set forth after this, by the drawing back of the 
veil, the opening of the royal doors, and the appearance of 
the holy Gifts ? 

A. The appearance of Jesus Christ Himself after His 
resurrection. 

Q. What is figured by the last shewing of the holy Gifts 
to the people, after which they are hid from view ? 
A. The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. 
Q. Will the use of the Sacrament of the holy Communion 
continue ever in the true Church of Christ ? 

A. Assuredly it will ever continue, even to Christ^s coming 
again, agreeably to the words of the Apostle Paul ; For as oft 
as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew forth the 
Lord's death, till He come. 1 Cor. xi. 26. 

ON PENITENCE. 

Q. What is Penitence ? 
• A, Penitence is a Sacrament, in which he who confesses 

his sins is, on the outward declaration of pardon by the Priest, 
inwardly loosed from his sins by Jesus Christ Himself. 

Q. What is the origin of this Sacrament ? 

A, They who came to John the Baptist, who preached the 
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, confessed their 
sins. Mark i. 4, 5. The Apostles were promised by Jesus 
Christ power to forgive sins, when He said ; Whatsoever ye 
shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever 
ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven ; Mat. xviii. 18. 
And after His resurrection He actually gave them this power, 
saying ; Receive ye the Holy Ghost : whosesoever sins ye remit, 
they are remitted unto them ; and whosesoever sins ye retain, 
they are retained. John xx. 22, 23. 

Q. What is required of the Penitent ? 

A. Contrition for his sins, with a full purpose of amend- 



FIRST 
PART. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



95 



ment of life, faith in Jesus Christ, and hope m His ox 

^ FAITH. 

mercy. 

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be 
repented of. 2 Cor. vii. 10. But if the wicked turn from his 
wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall 
live thereby. Ezek. xxxiii. 19. To Him, that is to Jesus Christy 
give all the Prophets witness, that through His name whosoever 
believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. Acts x. 43. 

Q. Are there not besides certain preparations and aids to 
Penitence ? 

A. Such are fasting and prayer. 

Q. Is there not besides these a certain special mean used 
by holy Church for cleansing and giving peace to the con- 
science of the Penitent ? 

A. Such a mean is the epitimia, or penance. 

Q. What is the epitimia 7 

A. The word means punishment. See 2 Cor. ii. 6. Under 
this name^ are prescribed to the penitent^ according as may 
be requisite_, divers particular exercises of piety^ and divers 
abstinences or privations, serving to efface the unrighteous- 
ness of siuj and to subdue sinful habit ; as, for instance, 
fasting beyond what is prescribed for all, or for grievous sins 
suspension from the holy Communion for a given time. 

ON ORDEKS. 
Q. What are Orders ? 

A. Orders are a Sacrament, in which the Holy Ghost, by 
the laying on of the bishop^s hands, ordains them that be 
rightly chosen to minister sacraments, and to feed the flock 
of Christ. 

Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, 
and stewards of the Mysteries of God. 1 Cor. iv. 1 . 

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, 
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to 
feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His 
own Blood. Acts xx. 28. 

Q. What is it to feed the Church ? 



96 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



™RT ^' instruct the people in faith, piety, and good works. 

Q. How manj^ necessary degrees are there of Orders ? 

A. Three ; those of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon. 

Q. What difference is there between them ? 

A. The Deacon serves at the Sacraments : the Priest 
hallows Sacraments in dependance on the Bishop : the 
Bishop not only hallows the Sacraments himself, but has 
power also to impart to others, by the laying on of his hands, 
the gift and grace to hallow them. 

Of the Episcopal power the Apostle Paul thus writes to Titus : 
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in 
order the things that are ivanting, and ordain elders in every 
city ; Tit. i. 5. And to Timothy ; Lay hands suddenly on no 
man. 1 Tim. v. 22. 

ON MATRIMONY. 
Q. What is Matrimony ? 

A. Matrimony is a Sacrament, in which, on the free 
promise of the man and woman before the Priest and the 
Church to be true to each other, their conjugal union is 
blessed to be an image of Christ^s union with the Church, and 
grace is asked for them to live together in godly love and 
honesty, to the procreation and christian bringing up of 
children. 

Q. Whence does it appear that Matrimony is a Sacrament ? 

A. Prom the following words of the Apostle Paul : A man 
shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his 
ivife, and they two shall be one flesh. This Sacrament is great : 
but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Eph. v. 31, 32. 

Q. Is it the duty of all to marry ? 

A. No. Virginity is better than wedlock, if any have the 
gift to keep it undefiled. 

Of this J esus Christ has said expressly ; All men cannot re- 
ceive this saying, save they to whom it is given. He that is 
able to receive it, let him receive it. Mat. xix. 11, 12. 

And the Apostle says ; / say therefore to the unmarried and 
widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I; but if 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



97 



they cannot contain, let them marry. . . He that is unmarried 
careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may 
please the Lord; but he that is married careth for the things 
that are of the world, how he may please his wife. . . He that 
giveth his vi gin in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her 
not in marriage doeth better. 1 Cor. vii. 8^ 9. 32, 33. 38. 

ON UNCTION WITH OIL. 
Q. What is Unction with Oil ? 

A. Unction with Oil is a Sacrament, in which, while the 
body is anointed with oil, God's grace is invoked on the sick, 
to heal him of spiritual and bodily infirmities. 

Q. Whence is the origin of this Sacrament ? 

A. From the Apostles, who having received power from 
Jesus Christ, anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed 
them. Mark vi. 13. 

The Apostles left this Sacrament to the Priests of the 
Church, as is evident from the following words of the Apostle 
James : Is any sick among you ? let him call for the Elders of 
the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil 
in the name of the Lord : and the prayer of faith shall save the 
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up ; and if he have com- 
mitted sins, they shall be forgiven him. James v. 14, 15. 

ON THE ELEVENTH ARTICLE. 
Q. What is the resurrection of the dead, which, in the 
words of the Creed, we look for or expect? 

A. An act of the almighty power of God, by which all 
bodies of dead men, being reunited to their souls, shall return 
to life, and shall thenceforth be spiritual and immortal. 

It is soivn a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 
1 Cor. XV. 44. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, 
and this mortal must put on immortality. lb. 53. 

Q. How shall the body rise again after it has rotted and 
perished in the ground ? 

A. Since God formed the body from the ground originally. 
He can equally restore it after it has perished in the ground. 
The Apostle Paul illustrates this by the analogy of a grain of 



98 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST seed, whicli rots in the earth, bat from which there springs 

PART. J- o 

Tip afterwards a plant, or tree. That ivhich thou sowest is not 

quickened except it die. 1 Cor. xv. 36. 

Q. Shall all strictly speaking rise again ? 

A. All_, without exception, that have died ; but they, who at 
the time of the general resurrection shall be still alive, shall 
have their present gross bodies changed in a moment, so 
as to become spiritual and immortal. 

We shall not all sleep^ but we shall all be changed, in a 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump : for the 
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, 
and we shall be changed, 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52. 

Q. When shall the resurrection of the dead be ? 

A, At the end of this visible world. 

Q. Shall the world then too come to an end ? 

A. Yes ; this corruptible world shall come to an end, and 
shall be transformed into another incorruptible. 

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the 
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children 
of God. Rom. viii. 21. Nevertheless we, according to His pro- 
mise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth 
righteousness. 2 Pet. iii. 13. 

Q. How shall the world be transformed ? 

A. By fire. The heavens and the earth, which are now, by 
the same, that is, by God^s word, are kept in store, reserved 
unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly 
men. 2 Pet. iii. 7. 

Q. In what state are the souls of the dead till the general 
resurrection ? 

A. The souls of the righteous are in light and rest, with a 
foretaste of eternal happiness ; but the souls of the wicked 
I are in a state the reverse of this. 

Q. Why may we not ascribe to the souls of the righteous 
perfect happiness immediately after death ? 

A. Because it is ordained that the perfect retribution 
according to works shall be received by the perfect man, after 
the resurrection of the body and God's last judgment. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



99 



The Apostle Paul says ; Henceforth there is laid up for me ON 

a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, 

shall give me at that day : and not to me only, but unto all them 
also that love His appearing, 2 Tim. iv. 8. And again; We 
must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ; that every 
one may receive the things done in his body, according to that 
he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor. v. 10. 

Q. Why do we ascribe to the souls of the righteous a fore- 
taste of bliss before the last judgment ? 

A. On the testimony of Jesus Christ Himself, who says in 
the parable that the righteous Lazarus was immediately after 
death carried into Abraham's bosom. Luke xvi. 22. 

Q. Is this foretaste of bliss joined with a sight of Christ's 
own countenance? 

A. It is so more especially with the Saints, as we are given 
to understand by the Apostle Paul, who had a desire to depart, 
and to be with Christ. Philipp. i. 23. 

Q. What is to be remarked of such souls as have departed 
with faith, but without having had time to bring forth fruits 
worthy of repentance ? 

A. This j that they may be aided towards the attainment 
of a blessed resurrection by prayers oflPered in their behalf, j 
especially such as are offered in union with the oblation | 
of the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, 
and by works of mercy done in faith for their memory. 

Q. On what is this doctrine grounded ? 

A. On the constant tradition of the Catholic Church ; the 
sources of which may be seen even in the Church of the Old 
Testament. Judas Maccabseus offered sacrifice for his men 
that had fallen. 2 Mace. xii. 43. Prayer for the departed has 
ever formed a fixed part of the Divine Liturgy, from the first 
Liturgy of the Apostle James. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says ; 
Very great will be the benefit to those souls, for which prayer is 
offered at the moment, when the holy and tremendous Sacrifice 
is lying in view. Lect. Myst. v. 9. 

St. Basil the Great in his prayers for Pentecost says, that 
the Lord vouchsafes to receive from us propitiatory prayers 

H 2 



100 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST and sacrifices for those that are kept in Hades, and allows us 
^the hope of obtaining for them peace, relief, and freedom. 

ON THE TWELFTH ARTICLE. 
Q. What is the life of the world to come ? 
A. The life that shall be after the resurrection of the 
dead and the general judgment of Chi'ist. 
Q. What kind of life shaU this be ? 

A. For those who believe^ who love God, and do what is 
good^ it shall be so happv^ that we cannot now even conceive 
such happiness. It doth not yet appear what we shall be. 
1 John iii. 2. / kneiv a man in Christ, says the Apostle Paul, 
who ivas caught up unto Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, 
which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 2 Cor. xii. 2, 4. 

Q. Whence shall proceed this so great happiness ? 

A. From the contemplation of God in light and gloiy, and 
from union with Him. For now loe see through a glass 
darkly, but then face to face ; now I know in part, but then 
shall I know, even as also I am known. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the king- 
dom of their Father. Mat. xiii. 43. God shall be all in all. 
1 Cor. XV. 28. 

Q. Shall the body also share in the happiness of the soul ? 

A. Yes ; it too will be glorified with the light of God, as 
Christ^s body was at His transfigui'ation on ]Mount Tabor. 

It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. 1 Cor. xv. 43. 
As we have borne the image of the earthy, that is, of Adam, we 
shall also bear the image of the heavenly. lb. 49. 

Q. Will all be equally happy ? 

A. No. There will be different degrees of happiness, in 
proportion as every one shall have profited here in faith, love, 
and good works. There is one glory of the sun, and another 
glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars : for 07ie 
star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resur- 
rection of the dead. 1 Cor. xv. 41, 42. 

Q. But what will be the lot of unbelievers and trans- 
gressors ? 



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101 



A. They will be given over to everlasting death, that is, to 
everlasting fire, to everlasting torment, with the devils. 

fVhosoever was not found vjritten in the book of life, was 
cast into the lake of fire. Rev. xx. 15 : And, That is the second 
death. Eev. xx. 14. Depart from Me, ye cursed, into ever- 
lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Mat. xxv. 41. 
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the 
righteous into life eternal. lb. 46. It is better for thee to enter 
into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to 
be cast into hell fire ; where their worm dieth not, and the fire 
is not quenched. Mark ix. 47, 48. 

Q. Why will such severity be used with sinners ? 

A. Not because God willed them to perish, but they of 
their own will perish, because they receive not the love of the 
truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thess. ii. 10. 

Q. Of what benefit will it be to us to meditate on death, 
on the resurrection, on the last judgment, on everlasting 
happiness, and on everlasting torment ? 

A. These meditations will assist us to abstain from sin, 
and to wean our afi'ections from earthly things; they will 
console us for the absence or loss of worldly goods, incite us 
to keep our souls and bodies pure, to live to God and to 
eternity, and so to attain everlasting salvation. 



THE SECOND PART 

OF THE 

ORTHODOX CATECHISM. 

ON HOPE. 



DEFINITION OF CHRISTIAN HOPE, ITS GROUND, 
AND THE MEANS THERETO. 

Q. What is Christian hope ? 

A. The resting of the heart on God, with the full trust that 
He ever cares for our salvation, and will give us the happi- 
ness He has promised. 

Q. What is the ground of Christian hope ? 

A. The Lord Jesus Christ is our hope, or the ground of our 
hope. 1 Tim. i. 1. Hope to the end for the grace that is to be 
brought unto you by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. i. 13. 

Q. What are the means for attaining to a saving hope ? 

A. The means to this are ; first, prayer ; secondly, the 
true doctrine of blessedness, and its practical application. 

ON PRAYER. 

Q. Is there any testimony of God^s word to this, that 
prayer is a mean for attaining to a saving hope ? 

A. Jesus Christ Himself joins the hope of receiving our 
desire with prayer : Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father 
in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in 
the Son. John xiv. 13. 



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103 



Q. What is prayer ? 

A. The lifting up of man^s mind and heart to God, mani- 
fested by devout words. 

Q. What should the Christian do_, when he lifts up his 
mind and heart to God ? 

A. First, he should glorify Him for His divine perfections ; 
secondly, give thanks to Him for His mercies ; thirdly, ask 
Him for what he needs. So there are three chief forms of 
prayer; Praise, Thanksgiving, and Petition, 

Q. Can a man pray without words ? 

A. He can; in mind and heart. An example of this may 
be seen in Moses before the passage through the Red Sea. 
Exod. xiv. 15. 

Q. Has not such prayer a name of its own ? 

A. It is called spiritual, or prayer of the heart and mind, 
in one word, inward prayer ; while, on the other hand, prayer 
expressed in words, and accompanied by other marks of devo- 
tion, is called oral or outward prayer. 

Q. Can there be outward prayer without inward ? 

A. There can ; if any man utter words of prayer without 
attention or earnestness. 

Q. Does outward prayer alone suffice to obtain grace ? 

A. So far is it from sufficing to obtain grace, that contrari- 
wise it provokes God to anger. 

God has Himself declared His displeasure at such prayer : 
This people draioeth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and 
honour eth Me with their lips, hut their heart is far from Me : 
hut in vain do they worship Me. Mat. xv. 8, 9. 

Q. Does not inward prayer alone suffice without outward ? 

A. This question is as if one should ask, whether soul 
alone might not suffice for man without body ? It is idle to 
ask this, seeing that God has been pleased to make man consist 
of soul and body : Hkewise idle it is to ask, whether inward 
prayer alone may not suffice without outward. Since we 
have both soul and body, we ought to glorify God in our 
hodies, and in our souls, which are God's : this being besides 
natural, that out of the ahundance of the heart the mouth 



104 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



FIRST should speak. Our Lord Jesus Christ was spiritual in the 

PART 

— highest degree^ but even He expressed His spiritual prayer 

both by words_, and by devout gestures of body ; sometimes, 
for instance, lifting up His eyes to heaven, sometimes kneel- 
ing, or falling on His face to the ground. 1 Cor. vi. 20 ; Mat. 
xii. 34 ; John xvii. 1 ; Luke xxii. 41 ; Mat. xxvi. 39. 

ON THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

Q. Is there not a prayer which may be termed the common 
Christian prayer, and pattern of all prayers ? 
A. Such is the Lord^s Prayer. 
Q . What is the Lord^s Prayer ? 

A. A prayer which our Lord Jesus Christ taught the Apo- 
stles, and which they delivered to all believers. 
Q. Repeat it. 

A. Our Father, which art in heaven ; 

1 . Hallowed be Thy Name ; 

2. Thy kingdom cotne ; 

3. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth; 

4. Give us this day our bread for subsistence ; 

5. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ; 

6. And lead us not into temptation ; 

7. But deliver us from evil. 

For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever 
and ever. Amen. Mat. vi. 9 . . 13. 

Q. In order the better to consider the Lord^s Prayer, how 
may we divide it ? 

A. Into the invocation, seven petitions, and the doxology. 

ON THE INVOCATION. 
Q. How dare we call God Father ? 

A. By faith in J esus Christ, and by the grace of regeneration. 

As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become 
the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name; which 
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the 
will of man, but of God. John i. 12, 13. 

Q. Must we say, Our Father, even when we pray alone ? 



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105 



A. Certainly we must. 
Q. Why so? 



ON 
HOPE. 



A, Because Christian charity requires us to call upon God, 
and ask good things of Him, for all our brethren, no less than 
for ourselves. 

Q. Why in the invocation do we say, WTio art in heaven 7 
A, That, entering upon prayer, we may leave every thing 

earthly and corruptible, and raise our minds and hearts to 

what is heavenly, everlasting, and Divine. 



Q. Is not God's Name holy ? 

A. Doubtless it is holy in itself. Holy is His Name. 
Luke i. 49. 

Q. How then can it yet be hallowed? 

A. It may be hallowed in men ; that is, His eternal holiness 
may be manifested in them. 

Q. How? 

A. First, when we, having in our thoughts and heart the 
Name of God, so live as His holiness requires, and thus 
glorify God; secondly, when others also, seeing our good 
lives, glorify God. 

Let your light so shine be/ore men, that they may see your 
good ivorks, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. 
Mat. V. 16. 

ON THE SECOND PETITION. 

Q. What is the kingdom of God, spoken of in the second 
petition of the Lord^s Prayer? 

A. The kingdom of grace, which, as St.Paulsays, is righ- 
teousness, and 'peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Rom. xiv. 17. 

Q. Is not this kingdom come already ? 

A. To some it has not yet come in its full sense ; while 
to others it has not yet come at all, inasmuch as sin still 
reigns in their mortal bodies, that they should obey it in the 
lusts thereof. Kom. vi. 12. 

Q. How does it come ? 



ON THE FIRST PETITION. 



106 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



SECOND A. Secretly, and inwardly. The kingdom of God cometh 

~ not with observation ; for behold, the kingdom of God is within 

you. Luke xvii. 20^ 21. 

Q. May not the Christian ask for something further under 
the name of God^s kingdom. 

A. He may ask for the kingdom of glory, that is^ for the 
perfect bliss of the faithful. 

Having a desire to depart, and be with Christ. Philipp. i. 23. 

ON THE THIRD PETITION. 

Q. What means the petition, TJiy ivill be done ? 
A. Hereby we ask of God, that all we do, and all that befalls 
us, may be ordered not as we will, but as pleases Him. 
Q. Why need we ask this ? 

A. Because we often err in our wishes; but God unerringly, 
and incomparably more than we ourselves, wishes for us all 
that is good, and is ever ready to bestow it, unless He be 
prevented by our wilfulness and obstinacy. 

Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all 
that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in 
us, unto Him be glory in the Church. Ephes. iii. 20, 21. 

Q. Why do we ask that God's will be done in earth as in 
heaven ? 

A. Because in heaven the holy Angels and Saints in bhss, 
all without exception, always, and in all things, do God^s will. 

ON THE FOURTH PETITION. 
Q. A^Tiat is bread for subsistence ? 

A. The bread which we need in order to subsist or live. 

Q. With what thoughts should we ask of God this bread ? 

A. Agreeably with the instruction of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, we should ask no more than bread for subsistence ; 
that is, necessary food, and such clothing and shelter as is 
likewise necessary for life ; but whatever is beyond this, and 
serves not so much for necessity as for gratification, we should 
leave to the will of God ; and if it be given, return thanks to 
Him ; if it be not given, we should be content without it. 



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107 



Q. Why are we directed to ask for bread for subsistence on 
only for this day ? 

A. That we may not be too anxious about the future, but 
trust for that to God. Take therefore no thought for the morrow ^ 
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself: 
sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof Mat. vi. 34. For 
your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these 
things, lb. 32. 

Q. May we not ask for something further under the name 
of bread for subsistence ? 

A, Since man is made of both a bodily and a spiritual 
substance, and the substance of the soul far excels that of 
the body, we may and should seek for the soul also that 
bread of subsistence, without which the inward man must 
perish of hunger. See Cyril. Hier. Lect. Myst. iv. 15. Orthod- 
Confess. P. ii. Q. 19. 

Q. What is the bread of subsistence for the soul ? 

A. The word of God, and the Body and Blood of Christ. 

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Mat. iv. 4. My Flesh is 
meat indeed, and my Blood is drink indeed, John vi. 55. 

ON THE FIFTH PETITION. 

Q. What is meant in the Lord^s Prayer by our debts ? 
A. Our sins. 

Q. Why are our sins called debts ? 

A. Because we, having received all from God, ought to 
render all back to Him, that is, subject all to His will and 
law ; which if we do not, we are left debtors to His justice. 

Q. But who are our debtors ? 

A. People who have not rendered us that which they owed 
us by the law of God ; as, for instance, have not shewn us 
love, but malice. 

Q. K God is just, how can we be forgiven our debts ? 

A. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ. For there is 
one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Jesus 
Christ, who gave Himself a ransom for all, 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6. 



108 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



Q. What will be the consequence^ if we ask God to forgive 
us our sins without ourselves forgiving others ? 

A. In that case neither shall we be forgiven. 

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father 
will also forgive you ; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, 
neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. Mat. 
vi. 14, 15. 

Q. Why will not God forgive us, if we do not forgive others ? 

A. Because we hereby shew ourselves evil, and so alienate 
from us God^s goodness and mercy. 

Q. What disposition then must we have, to use aright those 
words of the Lord's Prayer, we forgive our debtors ? 

A. These words absolutely require that when we pray we 
should bear no malice nor hatred, but be in peace and charity 
with all men. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, 
and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against 
thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first 
be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 
Mat. V. 23, 24. 

Q. But what am I to do, if I cannot readily find him who 
hath aught against me, or if he shew himself unwilling to be 
reconciled ? 

A. In such a case it is enough to be reconciled with him 
in heart, before the eyes of the all-seeing God. If it be 
possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 
Bom. xii. 18. 

ON THE SIXTH PETITION. 
Q. What is meant in the Lord's Prayer by temptation ? 
A. Any conjuncture of circumstances in which there is 
imminent danger of losing the faith, or falling into great sin. 
Q. Whence come such temptations ? 

A. From our flesh, from the world, or other people, and 
from the devil, 

Q. What do we ask in these words of the prayer, Lead us 
not into temptation ? 

A. First, that God suffer us not to be led into temptation ; 
secondly, that if it be needful for us to be tried and purified 



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109 



througli temptatiori_, He give us not up wholly to temptation, 
nor suffer us to fall. 

ON THE SEVENTH PETITION. 

Q. What do we ask in these words of the prayer, deliver 
us from evil? 

A. We ask for deliverance from all evil that can reach us 
in the world, which since the fall lieth in wickedness ; 1 John 
V. 19; but especially from the evil of sin, and from the evil 
suggestions and snares of the spirit of evil, which is the devil. 

ON THE DOXOLOGY. 

Q. Why after the Lord^s Prayer do we subjoin the Doxology? 

A. First, that when we ask mercies for ourselves from our 
heavenly Father, we may at the same time render Him that 
honour which is His due ; secondly, that by the thought of His 
everlasting kingdom, power, and glory, we may be more and 
more established in the hope, that He will give us what we 
ask, because this is in His power, and makes to His glory. 

Q. What means the word Amen ? 

A. It means verily, or so be it. 

Q. Why is this word added to the Doxology ? 

Q. To signify that we offer the prayer in faith, and without 
doubting, as we are taught to do by the Apostle James, i. 6. 

ON THE DOCTRINE OF BLESSEDNESS. 

Q. What must we join with prayer, in order to be grounded 
in the hope of salvation and blessedness ? 

A. Our own exertions for the attainment of blessedness. 

Of this point the Lord Himself says ; Why call ye Me Lord, 
Lord, and do not the things which I say ? Luke vi. 46. Not 
every one that saith unto Me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father ^ 
which is in heaven. Mat. vii. 21. 

Q. What doctrine may we take as our guide in these 
exertions ? 

A. The doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is briefly 
set forth in His Beatitudes, or sentences on blessedness. 



110 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



SECOND Q. How many such sentences are there ? 
'— A. The nine following : 

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom 
of Heaven. 

2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 

3. Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. 

4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righte- 
ousness : for they shall be filled. 

5. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 

6. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. 

7. Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called the 
children of God. 

8. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness^ 
sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

9. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute 
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for 
My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your 
reward in heaven. Mat. v. 3 . . 12. 

Q. What is to be observed of all these sentences, in 
order to their right understanding ? 

A. This ; that the Lord proposed in these sentences a 
doctrine for the attainment of blessedness, as is expressly 
said in the Gospel ; He opened His mouth, and taught : but, 
being meek and lowly of heart, He proposed His doctrine not 
in the form of commandment, but of blessing to those, who 
should of their own free will receive and fulfil it. Con- 
sequently in each sentence or Beatitude we must consider, 
first, the doctrine or precept, secondly, the blessing or 
promise of reward. 

ON THE FIRST BEATITUDE. 

Q. What is the Lord's first precept of blessedness ? 
A. They who would be blessed must he poor in spirit. 
Q. What is it to be poor in spirit ? 

A. It is to have a spiritual conviction that we have 
nothing of our own, nothing but what God bestows upon us, 
and that we can do nothing good without God's help and 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



Ill 



grace, thus counting ourselves as nothing, and in all throwing 
ourselves upon the mercy of God : in brief, as St.Chrysostom 
explains it, spiritual poverty is humility. Horn, in Mat. xv. 

Q. Can the rich too be poor in spirit ? 

A. Doubtless they can; if they consider that visible riches 
are corruptible and soon pass away^ and can never compen- 
sate for the want of spiritual goods. What is a man profited, 
if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall 
a man give in exchange for his soul? Mat. xvi. 26. 

Q. May not bodily poverty serve to the perfection of 
spiritual ? 

A. It may, if the Christian chooses it voluntarily, for God's 
sake. Of this, Jesus Christ Himself said to the rich man ; 
If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell that thou hast, and give to the 
poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven ; and come follow 
Me. Mat. xix. 21. 

Q. What does our Lord promise to the poor in spirit ? 

A. The kingdom of heaven. 

Q. How is the kingdom of heaven theirs ? 

A. In the present life inwardly, and inchoately, by faith 
and hope but in the life to come perfectly, by their being 
made partakers of everlasting blessedness. 

ON THE SECOND BEATITUDE. 

Q. What is the Lord^s second precept for blessedness ? 

A. They who would be blessed must mourn. 

Q. What is meant in this precept by the word mourn ? 

A. Sorrow and contrition of heart, with unfeigned tears, 
for that we so imperfectly and unworthily serve the Lord, 
or even rather deserve His anger by our sins. For godly sorrow 
worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of; but 
the sorrow of this world worketh death. 2 Cor. vii. 10. 

Q. What special promise does the Lord make to mourners? 

A. That they shall be comforted. 

Q. What comfort is here to be understood ? 

A. That of grace, consisting in the pardon of sin, and in 
peace of conscience. 



112 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



SECOND Q. Why is this promise joined with a precept for mourning? 

PART • IT* 

— ^ A. In order that sorrow for sin may not reach to despair. 

ON THE THIRD BEATITUDE. 
Q. AVhat is the Lord's third precept for blessedness ? 
A. They who would be blessed must be meek. 

Q. Whsit is meekness ? 

A. A quiet disposition of spirit, joined with care neither to 
offend any man, nor be offended at any thing one's self. 

Q. What are the special effects of Christian meekness ? 

A. These ; that we never murmur against God, nor even 
against men, when any thing falls out against our wishes, 
nor give way to anger, nor set om'selves up. 

Q. What is promised by the Lord to the meek ? 

A. That they shall in/mif the earth. 

Q. How are we to understand this promise ? 

A. As regards Christ's followers generally it is a prediction 
which has been literally fulfilled : for the ever-meek Chris- 
tians, instead of being destroyed by the fuiy of the heathen, 
have inherited the universe, which the heathen formerly 
possessed. But the further sense of this promise, as regards 
Christians both generally and individually, is this, that they 
shall receive an inheritance, as the Psalmist says, in the land 
of the living ; that is, where men live and never die ; in other 
words, that they shall receive everlasting blessedness. See 
Psalm xxvii. 15. 

ON THE FOURTH BEATITUDE. 

Q. What is the Lord's fourth precept for blessedness ? 

A. They who would be blessed must hunger and thirst after 
righteousness. 

Q. What is meant here by the word righteousness ? 

A. Though this word may well stand for every virtue, 
which the Christian ought to desire even as his meat and 
drink, yet should we here specially understand that righte- 
ousness, of which in the book of Daniel it is said. An ever- 
lasting righteousness shall be brought in; that is, the justifica- 



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113 



tion of guilty man througli grace and faith in Jesus Christ. 
Dan. ix. 24. 

The Apostle Paul speaks thus : The righteousness of God 
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them 
that believe : for there is no difference : for all have sinned, and 
come short of the glory of God ; being justified freely by His 
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God 
hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, 
to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are 
past. Rom. iii. 22 . . 25. 

Q. Who are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness ? 

A. They who, while they love to do good, yet count not 
themselves righteous, nor rest on their own good works, but 
acknowledge themselves sinners and guilty before God ; and 
who, by the wish and prayer of faith, hunger and thirst after 
the justification of grace through Jesus Christ, as after spiri- 
tual meat and drink. 

Q. What does the Lord promise to them who hunger and 
thirst after righteousness ? 

A. That the J shall be filled. 

Q. What is meant here by being filled? 

A. As the filling or satisfying of the body produces, first, 
the cessation of the sense of hunger and thirst, secondly, the 
strengthening the body by food, so the filling of the soul 
means, first, the inward peace of the pardoned sinner, secondly, 
the acquisition of strength to do good, given by justifying 
grace. The perfect filling, however, of the soul created for the 
enjoyment of endless good, is to follow in the life eternal, 
according to the words of the Psalmist ; WTien I awake up 
after Thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it, xvii. 15. 

ON THE FIFTH BEATITUDE. 

Q. What is the Lord^s fifth precept for blessedness ? 
A. They who would be blessed must be merciful. 
Q. How are we to fulfil this precept ? 

A. By works of mercy, corporal and spiritual ; for, as 

I 



114 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



SECOND St. Chrysostom says^ the forms of mercy are manifold, and 
this commandment broad. Horn, in Mat. xv. 

Q. Wliicli are the corporal works of mercy ? 

A. 1. To feed the huugry. 

2. To give drink to the thirsty. 

3. To clothe the naked, or such as have not necessary and 
decent clothing. 

4. To visit them that are in prison. 

5. To visit the sick, minister to them, and forward their 
recovery, or aid them to a Christian preparation for death. 

6. To shew hospitality to strangers. 

7. To bnry them that have died in poverty. 
Q. A¥hich are the spiritual works of mercy ? 

A. 1. By exhortation to convert the sinner from the error 
of his way. J ames v. 20. 

2. To instruct the ignorant in truth and wtue. 

3. To give our neighbour good and seasonable advice in 
difficulty, or in any danger of which he is unaware. 

4. To pray for others to God. 

5. To comfort the afflicted. 

6. Not to return the e^dl which others may have done us. 

7. To forgive injuries from our heart. 

Q. Is it not contrary to the precept of mercy for civil 
justice to punish criminals ? 

A. Not in the least ; if this be done as of duty, and with 
a good intent, that is, in order to correct them, or to preserve 
the innocent from their crimes. 

Q. What does the Lord promise to the merciful ? 

A. That they shall obtain mercy. 

Q. What mercy is here to be understood ? 

A. That of being delivered from everlasting condemnation 
for sin at God^s Judgment. 

ON THE SIXTH BEATITUDE, 

Q. What is the Lord's sixth precept for blessedness ? 

A. They who would be blessed must be pure in heart. • 

Q. Is not purity of heart the same thing as sincerity ? 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



115 



A. Sincerity, whicli feigns not any good dispositions foreign 
to the heart, but shews the really good dispositions of the 
heart by good deeds, is only the lowest degree of purity of 
heart. This last a man attains by constant and strict watch- 
fulness over himself, driving away from his heart every un- 
lawful wish and thought, and every affection for earthly 
things, and ever keeping there the remembrance of God and 
our Lord Jesus Christ with faith and charity. 

Q. What does the Lord promise to the pure in heart ? 

A. That they shall see God. 

Q. How are we to understand this promise ? 

A. The word of God compares the heart of man to the eye, 
and ascribes to perfect Christians enlightened eyes of the heart. 
Ephes. i. 18. As the eye that is clear can see the light, so 
the heart that is pure can behold God. But since the sight 
of God^s countenance is the very source of everlasting 
blessedness, the promise of seeing God is the promise of the 
highest degree of everlasting blessedness. 

ON THE SEVENTH BEATITUDE. 

Q. What is the Lord^s seventh precept for blessedness ? 

A. They who would be blessed must he peace-makers. 

Q. How are we to fulfil this commandment ? 

A. We must live friendly with all men, and give no occa- 
sion for disagreement : if any arise, we must try all possible 
ways to put a stop to it, even by yielding our own right, 
unless this be against duty, or hurtful to any other : if others 
are at enmity, we must do all we can to reconcile them, and if 
we fail, we must pray to God for their reconciliation. 

Q. What does the Lord promise to peace-makers ? 

A. That they shall be called the Sons of God. 

Q. What is signified by this promise ? 

A. The sublimity both of their office and of their reward. 
Since in what they do they imitate the only-begotten Son 
of God, who came upon earth to reconcile fallen man with 
God^s justice, they are for this promised the gracious name 

1 2 



116 



THE LONGER CATECHISM. 



SECOM) of Sons of God, and without doubt a decree of blessedness 
PAET. ° 

^ answering thereto. 

ON THE EIGHTH BEATITUDE. 

Q. What is the Lord^s eighth precept for blessedness ? 

A. They who would be blessed must be ready to endure 
persecution for righteousness' sake, without betraying it. 

Q. What qualities are required by this precept ? 

A. Love of righteousness, constancy and firmness in virtue, 
fortitude and patience, when one is subjected to calamity or 
danger for refusing to betray truth and virtue. 

Q. What does the Lord promise to those who are perse- 
cuted for righteousness^ sake ? 

A. The Kingdom of heaven, as if in recompense for what 
they lose through persecution ; in like manner as the same 
is promised to the poor in spirit, to make up for the feeling 
of want and privation. 

ON THE NINTH BEATITUDE. 

Q. What is the Lord^s ninth precept for blessedness ? 

A. They who would be blessed must be ready to take with 
joy reproach, persecution, suffering, and death itself, for the 
name of Christ, and for the true Orthodox faith. 

Q. What is the name for the course required by this precept? 

A. The course of Martyrdom ? 

Q. What does the Lord promise for this course ? 

A. A great Reward in heaven ; that is, a special and high 
degree of blessedness. 



THE THIRD PART 



OF THE 

ORTHODOX CATECHISM. 



ON CHARITY. 



ON THE UNION BETWEEN FAITH AND CHARITY. 

Q. What should be tlie effect and fruit of true faith in 
the Christian ? 

A. Charity or love, and good works conformable thereto. 

In Jesus Christ, says the Apostle Paul_, neither circumcision 
availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh 
by love. Gal. v. 6. 

Q. Is not faith alone enough for a Christian^ without love 
and good works ? 

A. No ; for faith without love and good works is inactive 
and dead, and so cannot lead to eternal life. 

He that loveth not his brother, abideth in death. 1 John iii. 
14. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he 
hath faith, and have not works ? can faith save him ? For as 
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is 
dead also. James ii. 14. 26. 

Q. May not a man on the other hand be saved by love 
. and good works, without faith 7 

A. It is impossible that a man who has not faith in God 
should really love Him : besides, man, being ruined by sin. 



ON 

CHAEITY, 



118 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD cannot do really good works, unless lie receive through faith 
'— in Jesus Christ spiritual strength, or grace from God. 

Without faith it is impossible to please God : for he that 
cometh to God, must believe that He iSj and that He is a 
rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Heb. xi. 6. 

For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the 
curse : for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not 
in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do 
them. Gal. iii. 10. For we through the spirit wait for the hope 
of righteousness by faith. lb. v. 5. 

For by grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of 
yourselves : it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man 
should boast. Ephes. ii. 8, 9. 

Q. AVhat is to be thought of such love as is not accom- 
panied by good works ? 

A. Such love is not real : for true love naturally shews 
itself by good works. Jesus Christ says ; He that hath My 
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: if 
a man love Me, he will keep My word. John xiv. 21. 23. 

The Apostle John writes ; For this is the love of God, that 
we keep His commandments. 1 John v. 3. Let us not love in 
word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. lb. iii. 18. 

ON THE LAW OF GOD AND THE COMMANDMENTS. 

Q. What means have we to know good works from bad ? 

A. The inward laiv of God, or the witness of our conscience, 
and the outward law of God, or God^s commandments. 

Q. Does holy Scripture speak of the inward law of God ? 

A. The Apostle Paul says of the heathen ; Which sheio the 
work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also 
bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or 
else excusing one another. Eom. ii. 15. 

Q. If there is in man-'s heart an inward law, why was 
the outward given ? 

A. It was given because men obeyed not the inward law, 
but led carnal and sinful lives, and stifled within themselves 
the voice of the spiritual law, so that it was necessary to put 



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119 



them in mind of it outwardly through the commandments. 
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of 
transgressions. Gal. iii. 19. 

Q. When; and how, was God's outward law given to men ? 

A. When the Hebrew people, descended from Abraham, 
had been miraculously delivered from bondage in Egypt, on 
their way to the promised land, in the desert, on mount 
Sinai, God manifested His presence in fire and clouds, and 
gave them the law, by the hand of Moses, their leader. 

Q. Which are the chief and general commandments of 
this law ? 

A. The following ten ; which were written on two tables of 
stone : 

1. I am the Lord thy God : thou shall have none other gods 
beside Me. 

2. Thou shall not make unto thyself any graven image, nor 
the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in 
the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth : 
thou shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. 

3. Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy : sioc days 
shall thou labour, and do all thy ivork ; but the seventh day is 
the Sabbath to the Lord thy God. 

5. Honour thy Father and thy Mother, that it may be ivell 
with thee, and that thy days may be long upon the earth. 

6. Thou shall not kill. 

7. Thou shall not commit adultery. 

8. Thou shall not steal. 

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, thou shalt not 
covet thy neighbour's house, nor his land, nor his man-servant, 
nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his 
cattle, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exod. xx. 1 . . 17. 
Deut. V. 6.. 21. 

Q. You said that these commandments were given to the 
people of Israel : must we then also walk by them ? 

A. We must : for they are in substance the same law. 



120 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD which, in the words of St. Paul, has been written in the 

PART. 

'— hearts of all men, that all should walk by it. 

Q. Did Jesus Christ teach men to walk by the ten com- 
mandments ? 

A. He bade men, if they would attain to everlasting life, 
to keep the commandments ; and taught us to understand 
and fulfil them more perfectly, than had been done before 
He came. Mat. xix. 17. and v. 

ON THE DIVISION OF THE COMMANDMENTS INTO 
TWO TABLES. 

Q. What means the division of the ten commandments 
into tivo tables? 

A. This ; that they contain two kinds of love, love to God, 
and love to our neighbour ; and prescribe two corresponding 
kinds of duties. 

Q. Has not Jesus Christ said something of this ? 

A. When asked. Which is the great commandment in the law ? 
He replied; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and ivith all thy mind. This is the first 
and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou 
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two command- 
ments hang all the law and the prophets. Mat. xxii. 36 . . 40. 

Q. Are aU men our neighbours ? 

A. Yes, all; because all are the creation of one God, and 
have come from one man : but our neighbours in faith are 
doubly neighbours to us, as being children of one heavenly 
Father by faith in Jesus Christ. 

Q. But why is there no commandment of love to ourselves ? 

A. Because we love ourselves naturally, and without any 
commandment. No man ever yet hated his own flesh, but 
nourisheth and cherisheth it. Ephes. v, 29. 

Q. What relative order should there be in our love to 
God, our neighbour, and ourselves ? 

A. We should love ourselves not for our own but for God^s 
sake, and partly also for the sake of our neighbours : we should 
love our neighbour for the sake of God : but we should love 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



121 



God for Himself^ and above all. Love of self should be sacri- on 

ficed to the love of our neighbour ; but both should be sacri- 

ficed to the love of God. 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down 
his life for his friends. John xv. 13. 

He that loveth father or mother more than Me, saith Jesus 
Christy is not worthy of Me : and he that loveth son or daughter 
more than Me, is not worthy of Me. Mat. x. 37. 

Q. If the whole law is contained in two commandments^ 
why are they divided into ten ? 

A. In order the more clearly to set forth our duties towards 
God^ and towards our neighbour. 

Q. In which of the ten commandments are we taught our 
duties towards God? 
A. In the first four. 
Q. What are these duties ? 

A. In the first commandment we are taught to know and 
orship the true God. 

In the second, to abstain from false worship. 
In the third, not to sin against God^s worship even by word. 
In the fourth, to keep a certain order in the time and acts 
f God^s worship. 
Q. In which of the ten commandments are we taught our 
duties towards our neighbour ? 
A. In the last six. 
Q. What are these duties ? 

A. In the fifth commandment we are taught to love and 
honour those of our neighbours who are nearest to us, begin- 
ning from our parents. 

In the sixth, not to hurt the life of our neighbour. 
In the seventh, not to hurt the purity of his morals. 
In the eighth, not to hurt his property. 
In the ninth, not to hurt him by word. 
In the tenth, not to wish to hurt him. 
Q. Do not the ten commandments include also our duties 
towards ourselves? 

A. Yes; these duties are implied in the commandments 



122 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD of the second table relating to our neighbours ; for our duty 
— is to love our neighbour as ourselves. 

ON THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 

Q. What mean these words,, / am the Lord thy God ? 

A. By these words God as it were points Himself out to 
man, and so commands him to know the Lord his God. 

Q. What particular duties may we deduce from the com- 
mandment to know God ? 

A. 1. We must seek to learn the knowledge of God, as being 
the most essential of all knowledge. 

2. We must listen attentively to instructions on God and 
on His works in churchy and to religious conversations on the 
same at home. 

3. We must read or hear read books of instruction in the 
knowledge of God; and in the first place holy Scripture, 
secondly the writings of the holy Fathers. 

Q. What are we taught in the words, Thou shall have 
none other gods but Me ? 

A. We are taught to turn and cleave to the one true God, 
or in other words, devoutly to worship Him. 

Q. What duties are there which refer to the inward worship 
of God? 

A. 1. To believe in God. 

2. To walk before God ; that is, to be ever mindful of Him, 
and in all things to walk circumspectly, because He seeth not 
only our actions, but even our most secret thoughts. 

3. To fear God, or stand in awe of Him; that is, to 
think the anger of our heavenly Father the greatest ill that 
can befall us, and therefore strive not to offend Him. 

4. To trust in God. 

5. To love God. 

6. To obey God ; that is, to be ever ready to do what He 
commands, and not to murmur when He deals with us other- 
wise than we could desire. 

7. To adore God, as the supreme Being. 

8. To glorify God, as being all-perfect. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



123 



9. To give thanks to God, as our Creator, Provident 
Sustainer, and Saviour. 

10. To call upon God, as our all-good and almighty helper, 
in every good work which we undertake. 

Q. What duties are there which refer to the outward 
worship of God ? 

A. \. To confess God; that is, to acknowledge that He is 
our God, and not deny Him, although for confessing Him we 
may have to suffer, or even die. 

2. To take part in the public Divine Service enjoined by 
God and appointed by the Orthodox Church. 

Q. In order the more exactly to understand and keep the 
first commandment, we must know further what sins there 
may be against it ? 

u4. 1. Atheism; when men whom the Psalmist justly calls 
fools, wishing to rid themselves of the fear of God's judg- 
ment, say in their heart, There is no God. Ps. xiii. 1. 

2. Polytheism; when instead of the one true God, men 
acknowledge a number of false deities. 

3. Infidelity ; when men who admit the existence of God, 
disbelieve His providence and His revelation. 

4. Heresy ; when people mix with the doctrine of the faith 
opinions contrary to Divine Truth. 

5. Schism; that is, wilful departure from the unity of Divine 
worship, and from the Orthodox Catholic Church of God. 

6. Apostasy ; when any deny the true faith from fear of 
man, or for worldly advantage. 

7. Despair ; when men give up all hope of obtaining from 
God grace and salvation. 

8. Sorcery ; when men leaving faith in the power of God, 
put their trust in secret and for the most part evil powers of 
creatures, especially of evil spirits ; and seek to work by their 
means. 

9. Superstition ; when men put faith in any common thing 
as if it had Divine power, and trust in it instead of trusting 
in God, or fear it instead of fearing God ; as, for instance, 
when they put faith in an old book, and think they can be 



124 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD saved by none other^ and must not use a new oue^ though 

^ the new book contain the very same doctrine, and the very 

same form of Di^dne Service. 

10. Sloth, in respect of learning religion, or in respect of 
prayer, and the public Service of God. 

11. Love of the creature more than of God. 

12. Men-pleasing ; when any seek to please men, so as for 
this to be careless of pleasing God. 

13. Trusting in man ; when any one trusts in his own means 
and strength, or in the means and strength of others, and not 
in the mercy and help of God. 

Q. Why must we think that men-pleasing, and trusting 
in man, are against the first commandment? 

A. Because the man, whom we please, or in whom we 
trust, so as to forget God, is in some sort to us another God, 
in place of the true God. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of men-pleasing ? 

A. The Apostle Paul says ; For if I yet pleased men, I 
should not be the servant of Christ. Gal. i. 10. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of trusting in man ? 

A. Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in 
man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth 
from the Lord. Jer. xvii. 5. 

Q. In order to succeed the better in fulfilling his duties to 
God, how must a man act by himself? 

A. He must deny himself. Whosoever will come after Me, 
says Jesus Christ, let him deny himself. Mark viii. 34. 

Q. What is it to deny oneself? 

A. Basil the Great explains it thus : He denies himself, ivho 
puts off the old man with his deeds, ivhich is corrupt, according 
to the deceitful lusts : ivho renounces also all worldly affections, 
which can hinder his intention of godliness. Perfect self-denial 
consists in this, that he cease to have any affection even for life 
itself, and bear the judgment of death in himself, that he may 
not trust in himself Can. Long. Besp. 8. 

Q. What consolation is there for him, who by denying 
himself loses many natural gratifications. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



125 



A. The consolation of grace ; a Divine consolation, wliicli on 

CPIARI' 

even sufferings themselves cannot impair. For as the suffer- 

ings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth 
by Christ. 2 Cor. i. 5. 

Q. If the first commandment teaches ns to worship religi- 
ously God alone, how does it agree with this commandment 
to honour Angels and holy men ? 

A. To pay them due and rightful honour is altogether 
agreeable to this commandment ; because in them we honour 
the grace of God, which dwells and works in them, and 
through them seek help from God. 

ON THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. 

Q. What is a graven image, as spoken of in the second 
commandment ? 

A. The commandment itself explains that a graven image, 
or idol, is the likeness of some creature, in heaven, or earth, 
or in the waters, which men bow down to and serve instead 
of God. 

Q. What is forbidden then by the second commandment? 

A. We are forbidden to bow down to graven images or 
idols, as to supposed deities, or as to likenesses of false gods. 

Q. Are we not hereby forbidden to have any sacred repre- 
sentations whatever? 

A, By no means. This very plainly appears from hence, 
that the same Moses, through whom God gave the com- 
mandment against graven images, received at the same time 
from God an order to place in the Tabernacle, or moveable 
Temple of the Israelites, sacred representations of Cherubim 
in gold, and to place them too in that inner part of the tem- 
ple to which the people turned for the worship of God. 

Q. Why is this example worthy of remark for the Orthodox 
Christian Church? 

A. Because it illustrates her use of holy Jcons. 
Q. What is an Icon ? 

A. The word is Greek, and means an image or representa- 
tion. In the Orthodox Church this name designates sacred 



126 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD representations of our Lord Jesus Christ,, God incarnate, 
— — '— His immaculate Mother, and His Saints. 

Q. Is the use of holy Icons agreeable to the second com- 
mandment ? 

A. It would then and then only be otherwise, if any one 
were to make gods of them ; but it is not in the least contrary 
to this commandment to honour Icons as sacred representa- 
tions, and to use them for the religious remembrance of God's 
works and of His saints : for when thus used Icons are books, 
written with the forms of persons and things instead of let- 
ters. See Greg. Magn. Ep. 1. ix. Ep. 9. ad Seren. Episc. 

Q. What disposition of mind should we have, when we 
reverence the Icons ? 

A. While we look on them with our eyes, we should men- 
tally look to God and to the Saints, who are represented on 
them. 

Q. What general name is there for sin against the second 
commandment ? 
A. Idolatry » 

Q. Are there not also other sins against this commandment? 
A. Besides gross idolatry there is yet another sort more 
subtle, to which belong ; 

1. Covetousness. 

2. Belly-service or sensuality, gluttony, and drunkenness. 

3. Pride, to which belongs likewise vanity. 
Q. Why is covetousness referred to idolatry ? 

A. The Apostle Paul expressly says that covetousness is 
idolatry. Col. iii. 5 ; because the covetous man serves riches 
rather than God. 

Q. If the second commandment forbids the love of gain, 
what contrary duties does it thereby necessarily enjoin ? 

A. Those of contentedness and liberality. 

Q. Why is belly-service referred to idolatry? 

A. Because beUy-servers set sensual gratification above 
every thing ; and therefore the Apostle Paul says that their 
God is their belly ; or, in other words, that the belly is their 
idol. Philipp. iii. 19. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



127 



Q. If the second commandment forbids belly-service, what 
contrary duties does it thereby enjoin? 

A. Those of temperance sand fasting. 

Q. Why are pride and vanity referred to idolatry ? 

A. Because the proud man values above every thing his own 
abilities and excellencies, and so they are his idol : the vain 
man wishes further that others also should worship the same 
idol. These proud and vain dispositions were exemplified even 
sensibly in Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who first set 
up for himself a golden idol, and then ordered all to wor- 
ship it. Dan. iii. 

Q. Is there not still another vice which is near to idolatry ? 

A. Such a vice is hypocrisy; when a man uses the outward 
acts of religion, as fasting, and the strict observance of ceremo- 
nies, in order to obtain respect from the people, without think- 
ing of the inward amendment of his heart. Mat. vi. 5. 7. 

Q. If the second commandment forbids pride, vanity, and 
hypocrisy, what contrary duties does it thereby enjoin ? 

A. Those of humility , and doing good in secret, 

ON THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. 

Q. When is God^s name taken in vabi ? 

A. It is taken or uttered in vain, when it is uttered in 
vain and unprofitable talk, and still more so, when it is uttered 
lyingly or irreverently. 

Q. What sins are forbidden by the third commandment ? 

A. 1. Blasphemy ; or daring words against God. 

2. Murmuring ; or complaining against God^s Providence. 

3. Profaneness; when holy things are jested on, or insulted. 

4. Inattention in prayer. 

5. Perjury ; when men afiirm with an oath what is false. 

6. Oath-breaking ; when men keep not just and lawful 
oaths. 

7. Breach of vows made to God. 

8. Common swearing; or thoughtless oaths in common talk. 
Q. Are not such oaths specially forbidden in holy Scripture? 
A. The Saviour says ; I say unto you, Swear not at all, but 



128 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD let your communication be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay ; for ivhatsoever 

PART. 

is more than these cometh of evil. Mat. v. 34. 37. 

Q. Does not this go to forbid all oaths in civil matters ? 

A. The Apostle Paul says ; Men swear by the greater ; and 
an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife : wherein 
God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise 
the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath. 
Heb. vi. 16^ 17. Hence we must conclude, that if God Him- 
self for an immutable assurance used an oath, much more 
may we on grave and necessary occasions, when required by 
lawful authority, take an oath or vow religiously, with the 
firm intention of not breaking it. 

ON THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q. Why is it commanded to keep the seventh, rather than 
any other day, holy to God ? 

A. Because God in six days made the world, and on the 
seventh day rested from the work of creation. 

Q. Is the Sabbath kept in the Christian Church ? 

A. It is not kept, strictly speaking, as a holy day; but still 
in memory of ^the creation of the world, and in continuation 
of its original observance, it is distinguished from the other 
days of the week by a relaxation of the rule for fasting. 

Q. How then does the Christian Church obey the fourth 
commandment ? 

A. She still to every six days keeps a seventh, only not 
the last of the seven days, which is the Sabbath, but the first 
day in every week, which is the Day of the Resurrection, or 
Lord's Day. 

Q. Since when do we keep the Day of the Resurrection ? 

A. From the very time of Christ^s Resurrection. 

Q. Is there any mention in holy Scripture of keeping the 
Day of the Resurrection ? 

A. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles it is mentioned 
that the disciples, that is the Christians, came together on the 
first day after the sabbath, which was the first day of the week 
or day of the Resurrection, for the breaking of bread, that is 



or THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



129 



to sav; for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Com- on 

CHARI 

munion. Acts xx. 7. The Apostle and Evangelist John also 

in the Apocalypse mentions the Lord's Day, or the Day of 
the Resurrection. 

Q. Is there not yet something more to be understood 
under the name of the seventh day, or Sabbath ? 

A. As in the Church of the Old Testament the name 
Sabbath was understood to include divers other days ap- 
pointed like the Sabbath for festivals or fasts, as the festival 
of the Passover, and the day of Atonement ; so likewise are 
we now in the Christian Church bound to keep besides the 
Lord^s day certain others also, which have been appointed as 
festivals to the glory of God and the honour of the Blessed 
Yirgin and other Saints, or as days of fasting. See Orth. 
Confess. P. iii. Q. 60. P. i. Q. 88. 

Q. Which are the chief festivals ? 

A. Those appointed in memory of the chief events relating 
to the Incarnation of the Son of God for our salvation, and to 
the Manifestation of the Godhead : after these, those ap- 
pointed in honour of the Most Holy Mother of God, as the 
instrument of the mystery of the Incarnation. Such, in the 
order of the events, are the following : 

1. The day of the birth of the Most Holy Mother of God. 

2. The day of her being brought to the Temple to be dedi- 
cated to God. 

3. The day of the Annunciation ; that is, when the Angel 
announced to the Most Holy Virgin the Incarnation of the 
Son of God of her. 

4. The day of the birth of Jesus Christ. 

5. The day of the baptism of our Lord, and the Epiphany, 
or Manifestation of the Most Holy Trinity. 

6. The day of our Lord^s being met in the temple by Simeon, 

7. The day of our Lord^s Transfiguration. 

8. The day of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem. 

9. Pasch or Easter; the feast offcasts, the anticipation of 
the everlasting feast of everlasting blessedness. 

10. The day of our Lord's Ascension into heaven. 

K 



130 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD 11. The feast of Pentecost : in memory of the Descent 

PART. 

' of the Holy Ghost, and in honour of the Most Holy Trinity. 

12. The day of the Elevation of the Cross of our Lord 
discovered by the Empress Helena. 

13. The day of the Rest of the Most Holy Mother of God. 
Q. What is the chief fast ? 

: A. The great fast ; that is, Lent, or Quadragesima. 
Q. Why is it called Quadragesima ? 

A. Because it continues forty days, besides the week of 
Christ's Passion. 

Q. Why has it been appointed that the great fast should 
continue forty days ? 

A. After the example of Jesus Christ Himself, Who fasted 
forty days. Mat, iv. 2. 

Q. Why has it been appointed to fast on the Wednesday 
and the Friday 7 

A. On Wednesday, in memory of the betrayal of our Lord 
Jesus Christ to suffer; and on Friday in memory of His 
actual suffering and death. 

Q. For what cause are the fasts before the Nativity, the 
•Eest of the Blessed Virgin, and the Day of the Holy Apostles? 

A, The first two as preparatory exercises of abstinence, the 
better to honour the ensuing feasts of the Nativity and the 
Assumption; the last not only for like reason, but also in 
imitation of the Apostles, who fasted to prepare themselves 
for the work of preaching the Gospel. Acts xiii. 3. 

Q. How should we spend our time on Sundays and the other 
greater holy days, in order to keep the fourth commandment? 

A. First, on these days we should not labour, or do worldly 
and temporal business ; secondly, we should keep them holy, 
that is, use them for holy and spiritual works, to the glory of 
God. 

Q. Why are we forbidden to work on holy days ? 
A, That we may with the less hindrance employ them in 
lioly and godly works. 

Q. What particular things is it fit to do on holy days ? 
A, First, to go to church, for the public worship, and for 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



131 



instruction in the word of God : secondly when at home, to 
give ourselves to prayer and reading, or edifying conversa- 
tion : thirdly, to dedicate to God a portion of oui* means, ex- 
pending it on the necessities of the Church and her Minis- 
ters, and in ahm to the poor, to visit the sick and prisoners, 
and to do other works of Christian charity. 

Q. But should we not do such things on work-days also? 

A. It is well, if any can ; but he whom business prevents, 
should at any rate devote holy days to such works. But as 
regards prayer it is certainly our bounden duty to use it every 
day, morning and evening, before and after both dinner and 
supper, and, as far as possible, at the beginning and ending 
of every work. 

Q. TMiat are we to think of those, who on holy days allow 
themselves in indecent plays and shows, idle songs, and in- 
temperance in meat and di'ink ? 

A. Such people greatly desecrate holy days. For if even 
Avorks innocent and nseful for this present life are unfit for 
holy days, much more such as these, which are unprofitable, 
carnal, and vicious. 

Q. When the foiu'th commandment speaks of working six 
days, does it not thereby condemn those who do nothing ? 

A, Without donbt it condemns all who on common days 
do not give themselves to works befitting their calling, but 
spend their time in idleness and dissipation. 

OX THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q. TMiat special duties are prescribed by the fifth com- 
mandment in regard to parents, under the general phrase of 
honouring them ? 

A. 1. To behave respectfully to them. 

2. To obey them. 

3. To support and comfort them in sickness and age. 

4. After their death, as well as dming their lives, to pray 
for the salvation of their souls ; and faithfully to fulfil their 
last wills, so far as they are not contrary to law, divine 
or civil. See 2 Mace. xii. 43, 44. Jerem. xxxv. 18, 19. 
J. Damasc. Serm. de Mort. 

K 2 



132 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD Q. What degree of sin is there in undutifulness to parents? 
— — — A. In proportion as it is easy and natural to love and 
honour parents^ to Trhom we owe our being, the more 
grievous is the sin of undutifulness towards tliem : for this 
cause in the law of Moses he that cursed father or mother 
was to be put to death. Exod. xxi. 17. 

Q. Why has this particular commandment to honour 
parents a promise added to it of prosperity and long life ? 

A. That men by a visible reward might be the more moved 
to fulfil a commandment^ on which the good order first of 
families and afterwards of all social life depends. 
Q. How is this promise fulfilled ? 

A. The examples of the old Patriarchs or Fathers shew 
that God gives special force to the blessing of parents. Gen. 
xxvii. The blessing of the father establisheth the houses of the 
children. Ecclus. iii. 9. God of His wise and just providence 
specially protects the hfe and promotes the prosperity of such 
as honour their parents upon earth : but for the perfect re- 
ward of the perfect virtue He gives everlasting life and 
blessedness in the heavenly country. 

Q. Why in those commandments which teach love to our 
neighbours is mention made first of all of parents ? 

A, Because parents are natui-ally nearer to us than all 
others. 

Q. Are there not others also to be understood in the fifth 
commandment under the name of parents ? 

A. Yes ; all who in difi'erent relations stand to us in the 
place of parents. 

Q. Who stand to us in the place of parents ? 

A. 1. Our Sovereign and our country : for an empire is a 
great family, in which the sovereign is father, and the sub- 
jects children of the sovereign and their country. 

2. Our Spiritual Pastors and Teachers : for they by their 
doctrine and by the Sacraments beget us to spii-itual life, and 
nurtm-e us up in it. 

3. Our Elders in age. 

4. Our Benefactors. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



133 



5. Our Governors, or superiors, in different relations. 
Q. How does holy Scripture speak of the honour due to 
the sovereign? 

A. Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there 
is no poiver but of God : the poivers that be are ordained of 
God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the 
ordinance of God. Rom. xiii. 2. 

JVJierefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but 
also for conscience sake. lb. 5. 

My son, fear God, and the king, and oppose neither of them. 
Prov. xxiv. 21. 

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Ccesar^s ; 
and unto God, the things that are God's. Mat. xxii. 21. 

Fear God, honour the king. 1 Pet. ii. 17. 

Q. How far should love to our sovereign and country go ? 

A. So far as to make us ready to lay down our life for 
them. John xv. 13. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of the duty of honour- 
ing spiritual Pastors and Teachers? 

A, Obey them that have the ride over you, and submit your- 
selves ; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give 
account ; that they may do it ivith joy, and not with grief: for 
that is unprofitable for you. Heb. xiii. 17. 

Q. Is there in holy Scripture any particular injunction to 
honour elders in age as parents ? 

A. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy thus : Rebuke not 
an elder, but entreat him as a father ; younger men, as brethren ; 
elder ivomen, as mothers. 1 Tim. v. 1, 2. 

Thou shall rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face 
of the old man, and fear the Lord thy God. Levit. xix. 32. 

Q. How may we be assured that we ought to honour 
benefactors as parents ? 

A. By the example of Jesus Christ Himself, who was sub- 
ject to Joseph; although Joseph was not His father, but only 
His guardian. Luke ii. 51. 

Q. Besides these, who are our superiors, whom we must 
honour after parents, and like them ? 



134 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD A. They, who in place of parents take care of our educa- 
— - tion, as Governors in schools^ and Masters ; They who pre- 
serve us from irregularities and disorder in society, as civil 
Magistrates ; They who protect us from wrong by the power 
of the law, as Judges; They to whom the sovereign entrusts 
the guardianship and defence of the public safety against 
enemies_, as military Commanders; and lastly, Masters, so far 
as relates to those who serve them, or belong to them. 

Q. What does holy Scripture prescribe as to our duty with 
respect to Authorities generally ? 

A. Render therefore to all their dues : tribute to whom 
tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear ; 
honour to whom honour. Rom. xiii. 7. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of the obedience due 
from servants and serfs to their Masters ? 

A. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters 
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of 
your heart, as unto Christ ; not with eye-service as men-pleasers, 
but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the 
heart. Ephes. vi. 5, 6. 

Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to 
the good and gentle, but also to the froivard. 1 Pet. ii. 18. 

Q. If holy Scripture prescribes duties towards parents, does 
it not likewise prescribe duties towards children ? 

A. It does. Fathers, provoke not your children to ivrath, but 
bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
Ephes. vi. 4. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of the duty of Pastors 
towards their spiritual flock? 

A. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the 
oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly, and according 
to God; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as 
being lords over God^s heritage, but being ensawples to the 
flock. 1 Pet. V. 2, 3. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of the duty of them 
that are in authority, and of Maste7's ? 

A. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 135 

equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven, on 

' . ^ CHARITY. 
Uoloss. IV. 1. 

Q. How ought we to act. if it fall out that our parents or 
governors require of us any thing contrary to the faith or 
to the law of God ? 

A. In that case we should say to them, as the Apostles 
said to the rulers of the Jews ; Whether it be right in the 
sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge 
ye : and we should be ready, for the sake of the faith and the 
law of God, to endure the consequences, whatever they may 
be. Acts iv. 19. 

Q. What is the general name for that quality or virtue, 
which is required by the fifth commandment ? 

A. Obedience. 



ON THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q. What is forbidden by the sixth commandment ? 

A. Murder ; that is, taking away the life of our neighbour 
in any manner whatever. 

Q. Is it in all cases murder, and against this command- 
ment, to kill? 

A. No : it is not murder, nor against this commandment, 
when life is taken in the execution of duty; as, when a 
criminal is punished with death, by just judgment ; or, again, 
when an enemy is killed in war, in defence of our sovereign 
and country. 

Q. What is to be thought of involuntary homicide, when a 
man is killed accidentally and unintentionally ? 

A. The man who is guilty of involuntary homicide cannot 
be reckoned blameless, unless he took all proper precautions 
against the accident ; at any rate, he needs to have his con- 
science cleansed according to the Canons of the Church. 

Q. What cases must be reckoned as murder, and as 
breaches of this commandment ? 

A. Besides direct murder, by whatever means, the same 
sin may be committed in the following, and in similar cases : 

1. When a judge condemns a prisoner, whom he knows to 
be innocent. 



136 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD 2. When any one conceals or sets free a murderer, and so 

PART. . 

gives liim opportunity for fresli crime. 

3. Wlien any one can save his neighbour from death, but 
does not save him ; as^ when a rich man suflPers a poor man to 
die of hunger. 

4. When any one by excessive burdens and cruel punish- 
ments wears out those under him^ and so hastens their death. 

5. When any one through intemperance or other vices 
shortens his own life. 

Q. What are we to think of suicide ? 

A. That it is the most criminal of all murders. For if it 
be contrary to nature to kill another man hke unto ourselves, 
much more is it contrary to nature to kill our own selves. 
Our life is not our own, but God^s, who gave it. 

Q. What are we to think of duels, to decide private quar- 
rels? 

A. Since the decision of private quarrels belongs to govern- 
ment, while the duellist, instead of having recourse to law, 
wilfully determines on an act which involves manifest danger 
of death both to himself and his opponent, it is evident that 
a duel implies three dreadful crimes ; rebellion, murder, and 
suicide. 

Q. Besides murder of the body, is there not such a thing 

as spiritual murder ? 

A. A kind of spiritual murder is the causing! of offence; 
when any one causes his neighbour to fall into infidehty or 
into sin, and so subjects his soul to spiritual death. 

The Sa\iour says ; Whoso shall offend one of these little 
ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone 
were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the 
depth of the sea. Mat. xviii. 6. 

Q. Are there not still some more subtle forms of murder ? 

A. To this sin are more or less referable all acts and words 
against charity ; all which unjustly affect the peace and secu- 
rity of our neighbour; and, lastly, all inward malice against 
him, even though it be not shewn openly. Whosoever hateth 
his brother is a murderer. 1 John iii. 15. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 137 

Q. When we are forbidden to hurt the life of our neighbour, ON 

what positive duty is therebj^ enjoined? 

A. That of doing all we can to secure his life and well-being. 
Q. What duties follow from hence ? 

A. Those of, 1. Helping the poor; 2. Ministering to the 
sick; 3. Comforting the afflicted; 4. Alleviating the distress 
of the unfortunate ; 5. Behaving in a gentle, affectionate, 
and edifying manner to all; 6. Reconciling ourselves with 
those that are angry ; 7. Forgiving injuries, and doing good 
to our enemies. 



ON THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q. What is forbidden by the seventh commandment ? 
A. Adultery. 

Q. What forms of sin are forbidden under the name of 
adultery ? 

A. The Apostle Paul would have Christians not even to 
speak of such impurities. Ephes. v. 3. It is only of neces- 
sity, to forewarn people against such sins, that we shall here 
name some of them. Such are ; 

1. Fornication; or irregular carnal love between unmarried 
persons : 2. Adultery ; when married persons unlawfully give 
that love which they owe each other to strangers : 3. Incest ; 
when near relations enter into an union like that of matri- 
mony. 

Q. What does our Saviour teach us to think of adultery? 

A. He has said that Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust 
after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his 
heart. Mat. v. 28. 

Q. What should we do in order to guard against falling 
into this subtle inward adultery ? 

A. We should avoid every thing that may excite impure 
feelings in the heart ; as wanton songs and dances, lewd 
conversation, immodest games and jokes, immodest sights, 
and the reading of books which contain descriptions of impure 
love. We should strive, according to the Gospel, not even 
to look on that which may cause us to fall. If thy right eye 



138 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIRD offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee ; for it is profit- 

— able for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that 

thy ivhole body should be cast into hell. Mat. v. 29. 

Q. Must we then literally pluck out the offending eye ? 
A, We must pluck it out, not with the hand_, but with the 
will. He who has firmly resolved not even to look upon that 
which causes him to offend_, hath already plucked out the 
off'ending eye. 

Q. When the sin of adultery is forbidden, what contrary 
virtues are thereby enjoined? 

A. Those of conjugal love and fidelity; and, for such as can 
receive it, perfect purity and chastity. 

Q. How does holy Scripture speak of the duties of man 
and wife ? 

A. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the 
Church, and gave Himself for it. Ephes. v. 25. Wives submit 
yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord : for the 
husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of 
the Church ; and He is the Saviour of the body. lb. 22, 23. 

Q. What motives does holy Scripture set before us, to make 
us flee fornication and live chastely ? 

A. It bids us keep our bodies in purity, because they are 
the members of Christ, and temples of the Holy Ghost; while, on 
the other hand, he who committeth fornication sinneth against 
his own body; that is, corrupts it, infects it with diseases, and, 
further, hurts his mental faculties, such as imagination and 
memory. See 1 Cor. vi. 15. 18. 19. 

ON THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q. What is forbidden by the eighth commandment ? 
A. To steal, or in any way appropriate to ourselves that 
which belongs to another. 

Q. What particular sins are forbidden hereby ? 
A. The chief are ; 

1. Robbery ; or the taking of any thing that belongs to 
another openly, by force. 

2. Theft ; or taking what belongs to another privily. 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



139 



3. Fraud; or appropriating to ourselves any thing that is ON 

another^s by artifice ; as when men pass ofi" counterfeit money 

for true, or bad wares for good ; or use false weights and 
measures, to give less than they have sold ; or conceal their 
effects, to avoid paying their debts ; or do not honestly fulfil 
contrapts, or execute wills ; when they screen others guilty of 
dishonesty, and so defraud the injured of justice. 

4. Sacrilege ; or appropriating to ourselves what has been 
dedicated to God, or belongs to the Church. 

5. Spiritual sacrilege ; when one sinfully gives and another 
fraudulently obtains any sacred office, not of desert, but for 
gain. 

6. Bribery ; when men receive a bribe from those under 
them in office or jurisdiction, and for gain promote the un- 
worthy, acquit the guilty, or oppress the innocent. 

7. Eating the bread of idleness ; when men receive salary for 
duty, or pay for work, which they neglect, and so in fact steal 
both their pay, and that profit, which society, or he whom they 
served, should have had of their labour : in like manner when 
they who are able to support themselves by work, instead of 
so doing live upon alms. 

8. Extortion; when under the show of some right, but 
really against equity and humanity, men make their own 
advantage of the property, the labours, or even the misfortunes 
of others : as when creditors oppress their debtors by usury ; 
when masters wear out their dependants by excessive imposts 
or tasks ; when in time of famine men sell bread at an ex- 
orbitant price. 

Q. When these sins are forbidden, what contrary virtues are 
thereby enjoined? 

A. Those of 1. Disinterestedness ; 2. Good faith in perfoj^m- 
ing engagements ; 3. Justice ; 4. Mercy to the poor. 

Q. Does he then who is not merciful to the poor sin 
against the eighth commandment ? 

A. Certainly he does; if he has the means of assisting 
them : for all that we have belongs properly to God, and our 
abundance is given us by His Providence for the assistance 



140 



THE LONGER CATECHISM 



THIED of the poor : wherefore, if we do not impart to them of our 

PART 

'— abundance^ we do in fact thereby rob and defrand them of 

their rights and the gift of God. 

Q. Is there not yet a higher virtue contrary to sins against 
the eighth commandment ? 

A. Such a wtue is absolute poverty , or the renunciation of 
all property j which is proposed by the Gospel not as a duty 
for all^ but as a counsel for them that would be perfect. 

If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to 
the poor ; and thou shall have treasure in heaven. Mat. xix. 21 . 

ON THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q. What is forbidden by the ninth commandment ? 

A. False witness against our neighbour, and all lying. 

Q. What is forbidden under the words false ivitness ? 

A. 1. False witness in a court of justice ; when men bear 
witness, inform, or complain falsely against any one. 

2. False witness out of court, when men slander any one 
behind his back, or blame him to his face unjustly. 

Q. But is it allowable to censure others when they are 
really to blame ? 

A. No: the Gospel does not allow us to judge even of the real 
vices or faults of our neighbours, unless we are called by any 
special office to do so, for their punishment or amendment. 

Judge not, that ye he not judged. Mat. vii. 1. 

Q. Are not such lies allowable, as involve no purpose of 
hurting our neighbour ? 

A. No : for they are inconsistent with love and respect for 
our neighbour, and unworthy of a man, much more of a 
Christian, who has been created for truth and love. 

Wherefore putting aioay lying, speak every man truth with 
his neighbour : for we are members one of another. Eph. iv. 25. 

Q. If we would avoid sins against the ninth command- 
ment, what rule must we follow ? 

A, We must bridle our tongue. He that will love life, and 
see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his 
lips, that they speak no guile. 1 Pet. iii. 10. If any man among 



OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 



141 



you seem to he reliqious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth ON 
his own heart, this man's religion is vain. James i. 26. — - 

ON THE TENTH COMMANDMENT. 

Q, What is forbidden by the tenth commandment ? 

A. All wishes inconsistent with charity to our neighbour, 
and thoughts which are inseparable from such wishes. 

Q. Why are we forbidden not only evil deeds, but also evil 
wishes and thoughts ? 

A. First, because when the soul entertains any evil wishes 
or thoughts, it is already impure in God^s sight, and unworthy 
of Him ; as Solomon says ,• The unjust thought is an abomina- 
tion to the Lord. Prov. xv. 26. And therefore we must needs 
cleanse ourselves also from these inward impurities also, as 
the Apostle teaches ; Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness 
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the 
ord. 2 Cor. vii. 1. 

Secondly, because, to prevent sinful acts, it is necessary to 
crush sinful wishes and thoughts, from which, as from seeds, 
such actions spring ; as it is said ; For out of the heart proceed 
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false 
witness, blasphemies. Mat. xv. 19. Every man is tempted, 
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then, when 
lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it is 
'nished, bringeth forth death. James i. 14, 15. 

Q. When we are forbidden to desire any thing of our 
neighbour's, what passion is hereby condemned ? 

A. Envy. 

Q. What is forbidden by the words, Thou shall not covet 
thy neighbour's wife 7 

A. All lustful thoughts and wishes, or inward adultery. 

Q. What is forbidden by the words. Thou shall not covet 
thy neighbour'' s house, nor his land, nor his man-servant, nor 
his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his cattle, 
nor any thing that is his ? 

A. All thoughts of avarice and ambition. 

Q. What positive duties, corresponding to these prohibi- 
tions, are prescribed by the tenth commandment ? 



142 



THE LONGER CATECHISM. 



THIRD A. First, to keep purity of heart ; and, secondly, to be 

content ivith our lot. 

Q. What is indispensable for the cleansing of the heart ? 
A. The frequent and earnest invocation of the Name of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 



CONCLUSION. 

APPLICATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF FAITH 
AND PIETY. 

Q. How must we apply the doctrine of faith and piety ? 

A. We must act according to our knowledge ; and keep 
before our eyes the fearful judgment threatened for dis- 
obedience. 

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 
xiii. 17. That servant which knew his Lord's will, and pre- 
pared not himself neither did according to His will, shall be 
beaten with many stripes. Luke xii. 47. 

Q. What must a man do, when he is conscious of any sin ? 

A. Not only should he immediately repent, and firmly re- 
solve to avoid the same sin for the future, but also strive, as 
far as possible, to repair the scandal or injury that he has 
wrought by contrary good deeds. 

Thus it was that Zaccheus the Publican acted, when he 
said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to 
the poor ; and if I have taken any thing away from any one by 
false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Luke xix. 8. 

Q. What caution do we need, when we seem to ourselves 
to have fulfilled any commandment ? 

A. We must then dispose our hearts according to the words 
of J esus Christ ; Wlien ye shall have done all those things which 
are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants ; we have 
done that, which was our duty to do. Luke xvii. 10. 



THE END. 



ON THE DUTY 

OF 

PARISH PRIESTS. 



THE TWENTY-FIRST EDITION. 



M DCCC XXXIII. 



TO the glory of the Holy, consubstantial, life-giving, and undivided 
Trinity ; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost : by the command 
of the most religious and most absolute autocrat, our Sovereign Lord 
the Emperor Nicolai Pavlovich, Emperor of all Russia ; ivith his con- 
sort, the most religious Lady, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna ; his 
heir, the 7'eligious Lord, the Cesarevich and Grand Prince Alexander 
Nicolaevich ; the religious Lords, the Grand Princes Constantine, 
Nicolai, and Michael Nicolaevich ; the religious Lord, the Grand 
Prince Michael Pavlovich, and his consort the religious Lady the 
Grand Princess Helena Pavlovna ; the religious Ladies the Grand 
Princesses Mary, Olga, and Alexandra Nicolaevna : the religious 
Ladies the Grand Princesses, Mary, Elizabeth, and Catherine 
Michaelovna ; the religious Lady the Grand Princess Mary Pavlovna, 
and her Consort; the religious Lady the Grand Princess Aima 
Pavlovna, and her Consort : and with the blessing of the Most Holy 
Governing Synod; This Booh, On the Duties of Parish Priests, taken 
from the Word of God, the Canons of the Councils, and the Doctors 
of the Church, is now printed for the twenty -first time, in the Great 
Tmperial City of Moscow, in the year of the Creation of the world 
seven thousand three hundred and forty -one, and of the birth of God 
the Word in the fiesh one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, the 
sixth of the Indict, the month of May. 



A 



PREFATORY ADDRESS 

TO 

PRIESTS. 



There are four duties which Priests are bound diligently 
fulfil. 

The first : To preach God^s word, without omitting any op- 
portunity, and so bring their parishioners to the knowledge 
of the faith, and to a good Clii'istian life, according to the 
injunction of the holy Apostle Paul : Preach the word, he 
instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, 
ivith all long-suffering and doctrine. 2 Tim. iv. 2. 

The second : To lead then' lives in accordance with the 
doctrine of the Gospel, and so make themselves ensamples of 
holiness : for a Bishop, as the Apostle Paul teaches, must 
be blameless, as the steward of God ; not self-willed, not soon 
angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but 
a lover of hospitality , a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, tem- 
perate ; holding fast the faithful ivord, as he has been taught, 
that he may be able by sound doctrine to exhort. Tit. i. 7, &c. 

The third : To minister God's sacraments ; the sole end 
and aim of which is, to confirm those who believe in Christ 
in faith and holy h^ing, and so perfect them for everlasting 
life, and for the kingdom of heaven. 

The fourth : To pray to God ; which is so profitable and 
needful to preachers and stewards of the mysteries, that 
^vitliout it they can neither preach God's word, nor live holily 

L 



146 ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 

PREFACE themselves, nor minister in holy things so as to please God. 

Wherefore, in accordance with the Apostle^s command. Pray 
without ceasing, thej^ ought day and night with all their souls 
to pray to our gracious God, aud beseech Him to give them 
the Holy Spirit. For He alone it is Who both first makes 
men Priests, and afterwards in the performance of their duties 
guides them into all truth, (John xvi. 13.) and makes them 
. workmen that need not to be ashamed ; nor is He given in 
any other way than upon earnest prayer. Luke xi. 13. 

How great is the weight of these four duties the Apostle 
has clearly shewn, when extolling the New Testament above 
the Old, he calls the preaching of the Gospel and steward- 
ship of the mysteries of God the ministry of the Spirit, the 
ministry of righteGiisness, and the ministry of reconciliation. 
(2 Cor. iii. 8, 9. and v. 18.) And how great skill, wisdom, and 
caution, how great piety, faith, and energy, together with the 
assisting grace of the Holy Ghost, such a ministry requires in 
its stewards, every one may easily see and understand, if he 
considers either the particular commands hereunto relating, 
or the nature of the Mysteries. 

In the Old Testament the Lord by Moses strictly enjoined 
the Priests to give heed to their ministry : Speak, He said, 
to Aaron and his sons, that they be careful in the holy things, 
and profane not My holy name . . .1 am the Lord. (Lev. xxii. 2.) 
And in another place : Ye shall reverence My holy things : I 
am the Lord. Lev. xix. 30. 

But if the ministry of the Old Testament needed in the 
sight of the Lord such strict attention and such deep awe, 
much more surely in the ministry of the New Testament, 
in the preaching of the Gospel, in the stewardship of the 
Mysteries, in the ministry of the Spirit, of righteousness, and 
of reconciliation, must the strictest attention, and the deepest 
awe, awe joined with love and all thankfulness, be required 
of Priests. 

For if in the ministry delivered through Moses to Aaron and 
his sons every disobedience and transgression was punished, 
(Heb. ii. 2.) how much stricter inquisition and judgment must 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



147 



there needs be for any transgression or neglect in that preface 
ministry, which has been delivered to the Apostles and to 
each of us, their successors, by the Lord Jesus Christ Him- 
self? Our Saviour has with His own mouth forewarned us 
in plain terms, when He says of the evil and careless ser- 
vant, that He will cut him asunder, and appoint him his 
portion with the unbelievers. Mat. xxiv. 51. Luke xii. 46. 

Hence ye see, O Priests, that those duties which we have 
named are of no little weight, and so require of you no little 
skill, wisdom, attention, and piety. The Apostle Paul by 
his own example at once teaches you this truth, and 
incites you to act upon it. For he, while fulfilling the 
ministry of the word and Sacraments entrusted to him, 
writes of himself to the Corinthians thus : / was ivith you in 
weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. (ICor.ii. 3.) And 
in another place he mentions the fear and reverence re- 
quired for the ministry : Let us have grace, whereby we may 
serve God acceptably, ivith reverence and godly fear : for our 
God is a consuming fire. (Heb. xii. 28, 29.) Wherefore there 
should be in you all manner of skill and godly reverence. 

But whereas we see some Priests, who know not these 
their duties, or care not even to know them, and so give no 
heed to their calling, but live in great disorders ; that such 
may not be left to the end in their ignorance and careless- 
ness, and so fall under that severity of God^s judgment which 
punished unworthy Priests, such as Nadab and Abihu, sons 
of Aaron, and Hophni and Phineas, sons of Eli, in the Old 
Testament ; to this end, as well to awaken as to instruct such 
Priests, is this book written ; and also that they who think 
to become Priests, or inferior servants of the Church, may 
know beforehand the greatness and responsibility of the 
ministry of the New Testament. 

Do ye then, O Priests, who bear the name of shepherds, 
receive these instructions \vith the same zeal, with which 
they are written for you ; and use them to your own profit, 
and that of the souls committed to you; that ye be not 
called in vain the light of the world ; that ye be not blind 

L 2 



148 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



PREFACE leaders of the blind^ going yourselves headlong and leading 
others into the pit of destruction, from whence there shall be 
no deliverance for ever. 

May God grant you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, 
perfectly to know your duty, and to fulfil it : may He 
enlighten the eyes of your heart to see what are the riches 
of the glory prepared for you, if ye give heed to walk worthy 
of your calling ; and what fierce torments on the other hand 
await you, if by your neglect of your calling a multitude of 
souls, for whom Christ died, should be drawn down together 
with you into the pit of everlasting perdition. But may 
He, our Lord Jesus Christ, by His almighty hand save you 
all from this, and deliver you from every evil work, and pre- 
serve you unto His heavenly kingdom. 



CHAPTER I. 

CONTAINING AN 

INTRODUCTION TO THE DUTY OF PRIESTS, 

IN WHICH IS SET FORTH 

WHAT THE PRIESTHOOD IS: BY WHOM INSTITUTED: AND TO WHAT END: 
HOW EXCELLENT THIS ORDER IS: OF HOW GREAT DIFFICULTY AND 
DANGER: WHO SHOULD BE ADMITTED TO IT: AND INTO HOW MANY 
PARTS THE PRIESTLY DUTY IS DIVIDED. 



I. 

The Priesthood is a ministry in the New Testament de- 
livered by Christ to the Apostles and their successors, con- 
sisting in the preaching of the word of God and the minis- 
tration of Sacraments, in order by these means to reconcile 
sinners to God, and perfect them in faith and holy living unto 
the attainment of everlasting life, to His glory. 

Every word of this definition is proved from holy Scripture in the fol- 
lowing Sections. 

II. 

The Priesthood, as has been said, was delivered in the 
New Testament by Christ Himself to His Disciples and 
their successors \ For when He sent the Apostles into the 
world. He gave them this commandment; Go ye and teach 
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; Teaching them to observe all 
things, whatsoever I have commanded you. (Mat. xxviii. 19, 20.) 



150 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. 1 Tliat it was not to the Apostles only, but also to their successors, the 

^' Bishops and Priests, that Christ delivered this ministry, is evident from His 

promise, which follows in the same place ; And lo, I am with you alwaj/, 
even unto the end of the ivorld. The Apostles themselves lived not to the 
end of the world ; but there have ever been living from the Apostles' times, 
and shall be even to the end of the world, their successors in uninterrupted 
line, who are the Bishops and Priests. 

This the Apostle Paul confirms, thus : And Ile^ that is, Christ, Who 
ascended up far above the heavens, gave some, Apostles ; aiid some, prophets ; 
and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers, Ephes. iv. 11. 

III. 

The end and object of the Priesthood is this^ that men_, 
who by sin had faPien away from God, and subjected them- 
seh es to everlasting punishment, may be brought back again 
to God^s grace ; and after having been brought back, may be 
so perfected in faith and holy living, that being united with 
Christ, as members with their head, in one body, they may 
be found meet to receive eternal life, to the glory of the 
blessed Trinity, the Author and Finisher of our salvation. 

In respect of this its object, St. Paul calls his Apostleship the ministry 
of reconciliation, and the preaching of the word of reconciliation, that is, of 
' the bringing of sinners to the grace of God. 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. And in 
his Epistle to the Ephesians, after having shewn that pastors and teachers 
are given of Christ (as stated above in section II.) he goes on in the same 
place to point out likewise the end of their ministry, thus ; for the perfect- 
ing of the saints, for the ivork of the ministry, for the edifying of the body 
of Christ ; till ive all come to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge 
of the So7i of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of 
the fulness of Christ. Ephes. iv. 12, 13. 

IV. 

That the Priesthood is a great dignity is sufficiently clear 
from this, that it was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, 
God and man, as a mean whereby men should attain the 
greatest blessedness, even everlasting salvation. 

This proposition is partly contained in the three foregoing sections. As 
for the dignity of the Priesthood, this Order receives much lustre from the 
titles which the Word of God gives to Priests. First, it calls them Messen- 
gers, or Angels of the Lord of Hosts; Malachi ii. 7. Angels of the 
Churches'^ ; Rev. ii, 1. 8. 12. 18, iii. 1. 7. 14. The light of the world; 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PillESTS. 



151 



Mat. V. 14. 16. The salt of the earth; ib. 13. Shepherds of thejlock of CHAP. 
Christ ; 1 Pet. v. 1, 2. Labourers together ivith God, and master builders 
of God's building ; I Cor. iii. 9, 10. The f riends of Christ, the Bride- 
groom. John iii. 19. 

1 St. Chrysostom, Horn. ii. on 2 Tim. says : Knowest thou not what a 
Priest is P He is the Angel of the Lord : for when he speaks according 
to his office, if thou despisest him, thou despisest not him, but the Bishop 
who ordained him, a7id God. 

St. Gregory the Divine, Serm. ii. says thus : The Priest, when he 
ministers, stands ivith the Angels, glorifies God ivith the Archangels, lifts 
up sacrifice to the heavenly altar on high, is joined as a Priest ivith Christ, 
renews our corrupt dust, restores the image of God : that is, brings fallen 
man by baptism to regeneration. 

St. Chrysostom, in his third book on the Priesthood, ch. iv. says ; The 
Priesthood is conferred on earth, but it has the rank of heavenly thi^igs. 
And this is said ivith the strictest truth : for it ivas not a man, nor an 
Angel, nor an Archangel, nor any other created power, but the Comforter 
Himself, the Holy Ghost, Who appointed this order, and taught men, while 
still living in the flesh, to imitate the ministry of Angels. 

V. 

But as the Priestly Order is of great dignity^ so also is 
it no slight labour^ but very great, whicli it demands ; as will 
appear below from the mention of its duties : indeed, the 
very names which holy Scripture uses to designate onl}^ the 
labours, the watching, the patience, and the exercises required 
of a pastor, suffice to let every one know this. 

Not only are Pastors called Angels, as has been mentioned above, but 
also Husbandmen; 1 Cor. iii. 8. 2 Tim. ii. 6. 18. Reapers ; Mat. ix. 38, 
39. Labourers in the vineyard; Mat. xx. 1. Soldiers; 2 Tim. ii. 3; 
Athletes, running in the Games; 2 Tim. iv. 7. 1 Cor. ix. 24. and Watch- 
men. Ezck. iii. 17. They are also likened to the ox, that treadeth out the 
corn. 1 Cor. ix. 0. 1 Tim. v. 18. 

Chrysostom, Hom. xv. on 1 Tim. writes thus : The Law commands not 
to muzzle the ooc that treadeth out the corn. Seest thou what labour it 
requires from the Teacher? For there is no labour, no, none, like to 
his labour. And again: Let us not think only of the hire, but of that 
qualification ivhich is joined ivith the command; for it goes on. The 
labourer is worthy of his hire. And so, if any one give himself up to in- 
dulgence and ease, he is not worthy : if he be not the ox that treadeth, if 
he stand not against frost and briars, and plough the land, and dress it, 
without resting till he gather the fruits into the garner, he is not worthy. 



152 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. The same doctor of the Churcli in his second Book on the Priesthood 

— ch. iv, and Morals x. on 1 Thess., and again, Morals iii. on the Acts of 

the Apostles, enlarges upon the laboriousness and danger of the pastoral 
calling. And St. Gregory the Divine, treating of the burden of the Priest- 
hood, says, that /or a Priest to know how to rule well the Jlock committed to 
him is a science above all sciences, and all arts. 

VI. 

The dignity of the Priesthood and the difficulties of the 
pastoral office draw after them of necessity a very great 
danger: for the higher the order, and the more to be re- 
warded if well administered, the more, on the other hand, 
must any misconduct in it, and above all sloth, be vile and 
wretched, and doomed to the fiercest torments. Mat. xxiv. 
48.. 51. XXV. 30. 

The Apostle Paul on committing this so fearful and dangerous Order to 
his successors, charged and adjured them of keeping it by God, Who 
quickeneth all things, and by the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the 
quick and the dead, and by the elect Angels ; as the zealous executors of 
God's judgment. 1 Tim. v. 21. vi. 13, 14. 2 Tim. iv. 1. 

His strong sense of this danger in the Order it was, which moved 
St. Chrysostom to utter those fearful words which are to be found in his 
Homilies ; I do not think there are many Priests who ivill be saved, but 
that the more part loill perish. Morals iii. on Acts. 

YII. 

This dignity, difficulty, and danger of the Priestly Order 
should be ever before the eyes of all who aspire to it ; that so 
they may first try and examine themselves, whether they 
can bear such a burden ; whether they have spiritual powers 
and qualifications adequate thereto ; as understanding, learn- 
ing, skill in speech, good morals, a blameless and exemplary 
life ; all which the Apostle requires in a Priest ? 1 Tim. iii. and 
Tit. i. (of which we shall speak more particularly and in detail 
hereafter, in the second chapter of Part II.) For they who 
possess such virtues even sin, if they are unwilling in this 
Order to serve God and their neighbours, especially when 
called thereto ; but for such as possess them not, it is not 
enough that they run not to take upon themselves this 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



153 



Order, like the false prophets ; but further, even though they CHAP. 

be called, even though they be pressed to enter into it, they '- — 

should refuse \ 

1 Moses refused. Exodus iii. 11. iv. 13. and Jer. i. 6. So also in ( 
ancient times divers refused, and fled from this Order ; as Gregory Thau- / 
maturgus of Neocaesarea, Ephraim the Syrian, Gregory the Divine, 
Ambrose, Augustine, Synesius, and many others, who were both by their * 
lives and doctrines lights of the Church. 

St. Chrysostom on occasion of his fleeing the Priesthood wrote his Six 
Books. How much more should they who are blinded by ignorance, by 
the darkness of vicious and impure lives, flee this Order ? 

VIII. 

But above all let him who would approach the Priesthood 
ask his own heart, whether it feels Christ saying unto him 
Lovest thou Me ? Feed My sheep : and whether to this ques- 
tion it answers with St. Peter unfeignedly, Lord Thou Jcnowest 
that I love Thee. (John xxi. 15.) And again, whether it be 
for the sake of the sheep that he goeth into the sheep- 
fold, that they may have life ; or for his own gain, that he 
may rob, and kill, and destroy ? {John x. 10.) If with the 
first design he enter in by the door, he is a shepherd ; but if 
with the last he climb in some other way, he is a thief 
and a robber. 

IX. 

The Priestly Office and yoke consists principally in four 
parts : I. In teaching ; II. In living holily ; III. In 
ministering the Sacraments ; IV. In praying for the 
people. 

The first and third of these parts are clearly pointed out by the Apostle, 
when he says ; Let a man so account of us, as of the Wlinisters of Christ, 
and Sfeivards of the Mysteries of God. 1 Cor. iv. 1. The second part 
Christ Himself points out thus: Let your light so shine before men, that 
they may see your good ivorhs. Mat. v. 16. While the last part or duty is 
enjoined by the Lord in the Old Testament. Levit. xvi. 34. Joel ii. 17. 
And by the Apostle Paul in his first Epistle to Timothy, ii. 1 , 2 : by St. 
James, v. 14 : and in the Acts, vi. 4, But of this we shall speak more at 
length in the fourth Chapter. 



CHAPTER II. 

or THE 

FIRST PART OF THE PRIEST'S DUTY, 

THA.T IS, OF THE 

INSTRUCTION OF HIS PARISHIONERS. 

FOR IT IS THE PRIEST'S DUTY TO INSTRUCT HIS PARISHIONERS IN FAITH 
AND GOOD LIVING; AND THIS NOT BY WORD ONLY, BUT ALSO BY DEED, 
THAT IS, BY THE EXAMPLE OF HIS OWN LIFE, THAT HIS WORDS BE NOT 
DEAD AND UNFRUITFUL. AND SO IT WILL BE RIGHT TO DIVIDE THIS 
CHAPTER INTO TWO PARTS; THE FIRST, OF INSTRUCTION BY WORD; 
THE SECOND, OF INSTRUCTION BY DEED. 



PART 1. 

OF THAT. INSTRUCTION, WHICH THE PRIEST 
OUGHT TO GIVE HIS PEOPLE BY WORD. 

IN THIS PART THE CHIEF POINTS ARE THE FOLLOWING: I. TO PROVE 
THAT TO TEACH THE PEOPLE IS THE PRIESrS VERY FIRST DUTY : II. TO 
SHEW WHAT HE OUGHT TO TEACH; AND WHENCE: III. IN WHAT WAY; 
WHERE; AND WHEN. 



THE FIRST DUTY OF THE PRIEST IS 
TO TEACH THE PEOPLE. 

I. 

CHAP. That it is not only the peculiar and indispensable duty of 
— the Priest as well as the Bishop^ but also his very first duty to 
teach the people, our Saviour Jesus Christ Himself has shewn, 
in that He gave commandment to the Apostles not only 
to baptize, but also to teach ; and first to teach, afterwards 
to baptize. (Mat. xxviii. 19. Mark xvi. 15, 16\) The Apo- 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



155 



stle Paul skewed the same, when he exclaimed of himself, chap. 

11. 

groaning ; JVoe is me I if I preach not the Gospel a neces- ' — 

sity is laid upon me; a dispensation is committed to me. 
(1 Cor. ix. 16, 17.) Again he shewed it, when he charged 
Timothy Bishop of Ephesus, adjuring him by God and by the 
awful judgment of Christ; Preach the word; be instant in 
season and out of season ; reprove^ rebuke, exhort y with all long 
suffering and doctrine. (2 Tim. iv. 1, 2.) Lastly, he shewed it 
when he required from every Priest without exception, among 
his other qualifications, this, that he be apt to teach. (1 Tim. 
iii. 2.) Indeed three whole Epistles of his, two to Timothy, 
and one to Titus, are filled with the most earnest charges 
and the most awful adjurations to the performance of this 
duty. 1 Tim. iv. 6. 14. 16. vi. 2. 2 Tim. ii. 2. 14, 15. 24. iii. 
14. iv. 5. Tit. ii. 1. 7. 15. iii. 8^ 

1 It is impossible but that teaching* should be the first thing, and go before 
the administration of Sacraments : for Sacraments without faith profit the 
receiver nothing ; but faith cannot be without a preacher. Rom. x. 14. 
And say not, O Priest, This command was given to the Apostles, not to me. 
Thou art the successor of the Apostles in the work of baptizing ; therefore 
also in the work of teaching : and it has been already shewn above, that 
when Jesus Christ gave the commandment to His Apostles to teach and 
baptize, He gave it to all Bishops, and to all Priests likewise, even to the 
end of the world. 

2 This is the voice, or rather the thunder, of the Holy Ghost by the lips 
of Paul crying to thee, O Priest, whosoever thou art ! Every day of thy 
life, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up, say ; Woe is me ! if I 
preach not the Gospel ; if I instruct not my flock in faith and good 
works ! 

3 These Epistles under the names of Timothy and Titus are in reality 
addressed to all who bear the pastoral oflice : wherefore every one should 
have them written on the tablet of his heart, and meditate upon them with- 
out ceasing, both by day and night. 

II. 

Not only does the Lord require this of pastors, that they 
teach God^s people, but He enforces also it by the severest 
threatenings ; under pain of having the blood of them that 
perish required at the hand of the pastors, under penalty 



156 



ON THE DUTY OP PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, of the very fiercest torments^ foreordained for all slothful 

— servants and stewards. Ezek. iii. 17, 18. Son of man, I have 

made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore 
hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. 
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou 
givest him not warning, nor speakest to ivarn the wicked from 
his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die 
in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. And 
again^ eh. xxxiii. 8. and xxxiv. 10. And in the New Testa- 
ment He says; The lord of that servant, who gave not his fellow- 
servants their portion of meat (that is, the food of the word 
of God, of instruction in faith and holy living) shall come in a 
day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not 
aware, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion 
with the unbelievers. Mat. xxiv. 50. Lnke xii. 46. 

As thou readest this, give heed, Priest! The Lord has adorned thee 
with the grace of the Priesthood ; endeavour then thyself to be in very deed 
conformable thereto. Thou art called an Angel of the Lord of Hosts ; thou 
art then assuredly bound to proclaim to men the will and law of the Lord 
of Hosts : for the word Angel means a herald ; and it is for this precisely 
that the Priest is called an Angel, that his lips, as a fountain, should be full 
of knowledge, and that the people should seek the law of God at his mouth. 
Malachi ii. 7. Thou art called a Pastor or Shepherd; feed then the flock 
committed to thee ; defend what is attacked ; heal what is sick ; bring back 
what strays. But feed otherwise thou canst not than by instruction : as it 
is written of the prophet; (Jeremiah iii. 15.) / will give you pastors ac- 
cording to Mine heart, and they shall feed you ivith knowledge a7id instruc- 
tion. Likewise neither canst thou defend, nor heal, but by the Word of 
God, which is our whole armoury. 2 Cor. x. 4. Ephes. vi. 17. Heb. iv. 12. 
Prov. XXX. 5. It is the poiuer of God to them that believe : Kom i. 16. The 
wisdom of God, making wise unto salvation : 2 Tim. iii. 15. It is a medicine 
to the sick, a path to them that are gone astray. Psalm cxix. 35. Thou 
art the Overseer of the flock committed to thee. Acts xx. 28. Thou art set 
a Watchman unto the people. Ezek. xxxiii. 7. Look out then on all sides 
unremittingly, and warn sinners from what quarter the sword of the Lord's 
fury is coming upon them. Father, is the title by which thou art 
customarily addressed of all: be then in very deed a father to thy 
parishioners, begetting them to God by the preaching of the Gospel and 
the ministry of the Sacraments. 1 Cor. iv. 15. Have also the bowels of 
a mother towards them, travailing with Paul, until Christ be formed in 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



157 



them. Gal. iv. 19. Thou art tlie sei-vant of the King, sent to call them that PART 
are hidden to the Wedding of His Son: Mat. xxii.3. To the great Supper: ^' 
Liike xiv. 17. And not a servant only, but the friend of the bridegroom :■ 
John iii. 29, and the espouser, or giver aivay of the bride. 2 Cor. xi. 2. Call 
then : go not about dumb : be ever going out ; ask, entreat, compel them 
to come in ; that the house may be filled with guests : espouse thy flock 
to one husband^ that thou mayest j^me^i^ it as a chaste virgin unto Christ. 

III. 

The Pastors of the first ages of Christianity had this duty 
deeply graven on their hearts^ and failed not to warn us of 
the consequences of neglecting it : and to this end they both 
enforced it by canons in the general and provincial councils,, 
and in their writings and instructions continually and most 
earnestly inculcated it upon all^ who should take upon them- 
selves this calling ^ 

\ If any Bishop, upon his appointment, through sloth neglect to teach, let 
him be suspended, until he amend. Can. Apost. xxxvi. If any Bishop, or 
Priest, he neglectf ul of his inferior Clergy and people, and fail to instruct 
them in the faith, let him be suspended ; and if he remain still in his negli- 
gence, let him be deposed. Can. Iviii. Let the elders, that is, the Bishop 
and Priest of the Church, every day, hut especially on all Sundays, teach 
the people God's commandments ; and, let them speak not of their own 
private spirit, but according to the sense of the holy Fathers. Can. vi. of 
the Sixth GEcumenical Council. 

Gregory the Divine, Serm. i. says that, of all episcopal and priestly 
duties, the very first is that of preach ing the word of God. 

St. Chrysostom, in his second Homily on the Epistle to Titus, has no 
other name for the place or chair of the Bishop than this, the place of 
teaching. In Hom. ix. on the Epistle to the Romans, he says; This is 
my Priesthood, to preach and proclaim the Gospel. 

IV. 

There remains now no more room for doubt on this first 
and chiefest of Priestly duties ; but only for wonder and 
grief of heart, that with many of us it is commonly reckoned 
either as their last duty, or as no duty at all. Wherefore 
such should tremble, lest of them be spoken that word of the 
Prophet Jeremiah ; The Priests said not, Where is the Lord ? 



158 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, and they that handle the law knew Me not ; and the Pastors 

■ transgressed against Me. (ch. ii. 8 .) They should fear too that 

judgment^ of the Lord, which condemns the slothful and 
wicked servant, who buries his talent in the earth. Mat. 
XXV. 36, 27. 30. 

1 To this judgment refer certain figures, by which the Apostles (2 Pet. 
ii. 17. and Jude 12.) designate slothful and dissolute teachers; calling 
them wells and clouds without ivater, trees withered, without fruit, tivice 
dead : while the Prophet Isaiah reproaches such as blind, and dumb. 
ch. Ivi. 10, 11. 

V. 

The sloth above mentioned, and the ignorance blamed by 
the Prophet J eremiah, bring it to pass, that nearly all Pastors 
seek rather their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's ; 
that is, they care for themselves, not for the salvation of the 
people. (Philipp. ii. 31.) And even worse than this do they, 
when leaving the word of God, they incline to superstitious 
fables; and not having in themselves the form of sound words, 
(2 Tim. i. 13.) speak vain things, and so lead their parishioners 
into superstition and schism. 

Here for their instruction Priests should notice the following words of 
the Lord : O shepherds of Israel ! do the shepherds feed themselves P Is it 
not the sheep that the shepherds feed P Behold, ye eat the milk, aiid clothe 
you with the wool, and hill them that are fat ; but My sheep do ye not feed. 
The diseased have ye 7iot strengthened, neither have ye healed that xohich 
was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye 
brought again that which loas strayed, neither have ye sought that which, 
was lost. And for such negligence, further on in the same chapter, the 
Lord threatens : Behold, says He, / am against the shepherds ; and I will 
require My sheep at their hands, and cause them to cease from feeding My 

sheep ; and the shepherds shall not feed them any more neither 

shall they have them, to feed themsehes. Ezek. xxxiv. 2. 10. And again : 
Woe be unto the Pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture ! 
Jer. xxiii. 1. This whole chapter is a full instruction to Pastors: and it 
will be well to read together with it Ezek. xiii. from ver. 18. to the end. 

VI. 

But that none may fall into such sloth and into such 
dangerous ignorance, or, at any rate, that he who has been 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



159 



in fault already remain not therein to the end, two things part 
are here recommended ; first, to read over frequently these — ~ — 
sections, and to bear in mind and meditate on the Scriptures 
referred to in them ; secondly, to pray withal most heartily, 
and with faith, to Jesus Christ our Lord, that He may ever 
guide us by the Holy Ghost, and lead us into all truth. 

These two methods will be as it were two most useful medicines : for to 
such as are in health they will be preservatires, strengthening and keeping 
up the soundness of their reason and will ; while to the sick they will be 
literally medicines of healing. For the words of the Lord make those who 
receive them 2vise unto salvation, through faith ivhich is in Christ Jesus : 
for they are profitable for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and 
make a man to be thoroughly f urnished unto all good ivorks. 2 Tim. iii. 
15 . . 17. But all these things will then only hare place in us, when we 
pray heartily to the Lord with faith : for it is through this that our heavenly 
Father gives the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him. Luke xi. 13. Of both 
these means we are strongly assured by our Saviour Jesus Christ Himself. 
John xiv. 13, 14, and xv. 7. 

WHAT THE PRIEST OUGHT TO TEACH, 
AND WHENCE. 

VII. 

It is the Priest^s duty to teach his flock the Faith and the 
Law ; the word law being used for the good works of the law. 
These two things Christ Himself taught, and began His 
preaching thus; Repent ye, and believe the Gospel. (Mark i. 15.) 
And the Apostle Paul in like manner taught both J ews and 
Greeks repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord 
Jesus Christ. (Acts xx. 21.) To repentance belong the works 
of the law, to the Gospel faith in Christ. 

This may be clearly seen from all St. Paul's Epistles; in which the Apostle 
first proposes the doctrine of the faith, and then whites of the good works of 
the law, exhorting Christians to walk worthy of their calling ; that is, to live 
soberly, righteously, and godly in this present icorld, denying ungodliness 
and worldly lusts. Tit. ii. 12. Indeed all holy Scripture, both of the Old 
and of the New Testament, in all its parts, has one and the same subject; 
and the Doctors of the Church, and the Holy Fathers, following the Word 
of God, have ever taught faith and holy living according to the law : and 



160 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, so, consequently, it is the duty of every Priest in the work of his calling 
— — to go by the same way. 

VIII. 

The Faitli consists in divers Articles, which Christians must 
believe and confess : of which some are principal,, and so 
necessary to salvation, that without the knowledge of them 
a man cannot be saved \ any more than he can live without 
the principal members of the body, as the head, the heart, 
and the like; while others, especially for simple people 
busied with their worldly callings, are less necessary, as 
being implied in the first, and belonging only to their more 
exact statement and explanation^. 

1 To the first class of Articles belongs the mystery of the holy Trinity; 
the mission of the Son of God into the world ; our Justification by His 
death ; God's mercy to fallen man, and His Grace leading to repentance ; 
and the like. 

2 Amongst Articles of the second class may be placed the doctrine of the 
Predestination of the righteous and the wicked, the latter to destruction, 
the first to everlasting life ; the Justification of those who lived under the 
elder dispensation ; &c. 

IX. 

All the Articles of the Faith are contained in the "Word of 
God, that is, in the books of the Old and New Testaments ; 
and are proposed methodically by Theology, a science with 
which it is absolutely necessary for the Pastor, who is to teach 
others, to be acquainted. 

The articles of the faith strictly necessaiy for salvation have been 
collected from the Word of God in the Councils of Nice and Constanti- 
nople, and put together into one form, called the Symbol, or Creed. The 
like articles are contained also in the particular Creed of Athanasius the 
Great. But they are more fully and systematically set forth in the Cate- 
chisms, from which all Priests, especially such as have not studied theology, 
are absolutely bound, first thoroughly to inform themselves, and then to 
teach all their parishioners. 

X. 

The Law of the Ten Commandments is likewise contained 
in holy Scripture, in the twentieth chapter of Exodus ; and 



ox THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 161 



since it is inuate in us, and the mirror of that image of God part 

in which man was created,, it folio ws, that every Christian — 

without exception is most certainly required to know it, and 
to lead his life by it, doing good works, and eschewing evil. 

The Ten Commaridments of the Law are sufBciently explained for the 
young-, and so also for villagers, and divers other classes in parishes, both 
in the Primers, and in the Catechism printed at Moscow: and so village 
Priests, and others, may hence sufficiently instruct their parishioners, if they 
teach them every Sunday and Holyday some one Article of the Faith, and 
with it some one of the Lord's Commandments, or, it may be, two. 

XI. 

Since the Articles of the Faith and the Law of the Ten 
Commandments are contained in holy Scripture, as afore- 
said j it follows, beyond dispute, that we hold the Word of 
God, that is, the books of the Old and New Testaments, as 
the source, foundation, and perfect rule both of our holy 
Faith, and of the good works of the Law. Wherefore it is our 
duty to search^ the Word of God, and draw from it divine 
truth, to teach the people^; and to confirm our own words 
from the Word of God^ ; and to this test to bring all doctrine, 
which either we ourselves may hear from others, or others 
from us, recei^dng what is agreeable thereto, and rejecting 
what is contrary 

iThis is endent both from God's own words, and from the canons of 
the Councils, and the teaching of the holy Fathers. Search the Scriptures, 
saith the Lord Himself. John v. 39. Blessed are they that search His testi- 
monies, they ivill seek Him ivith their luhole heart. Psalm cxix. 2. To the 
same purpose are Acts xvii. 11. 1 Tim. vi. 3, 4. and the two parables, of 
the treasure hid in the field, and of the pearl of great price. Mat. xiii. 
44, 45, 46. 

^ These ivords shall he in thine heart, aiid thou shalt teach them unto thy 
children. Deut. vi. 6, 7. Thou shalt speak My ivords unto them. Ezek. ii, 7. 
Hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. lb. iii. 17. 

The nineteenth canon of the sixth (Ecumenical Council orders, that the 
people he instructed in the true faith out of holy Scripture. To the same 
purpose is canon xvi. of the Council of Laodicea. 

St. Athanasius the Great, in the thirty-ninth of his Epistles on Festivals, 
towards the end, after having enumerated the books of the Old and Xew 
Testament, says thus: These Books are the ii;ellsprings of salvation : from 

M 



163 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, these, if any one thirst, let him draw the words of Ood : in these alone is 
the doctrine of the true faith preached : let none to these add any thing, nor 
tahe any thing away. Out of these the Lord put the Sadducees to shame, 
saying ; Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures ; while He taught the Jews 
thus ; Search the Scriptures. 

3 This doctrine, that we should conlirm our own words by the Word of 
God, is implied by every passage cited from the Old Testament in the New, 
to confirm the things therein said or written. 

St. Basil the Great, in his Short Canons, in reply to the First Question, 
Whether it he profitaUe or ijossihle to do any good thing, or speak, or think 
of ourselves, without the testimony of the divinely-inspired Scripture 1 
answers thus : Our Lord Jesus Christ said of the Holy Ghost, that He shall 
not speak of Himself, hut whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak : and 
of Himself thus : The Son can do nothing of Himself : and again : I have 
not spoken of Myself, hut the Father Which sent Me, He gave Me a com- 
Tnandment what I should say, and what I should speak : <Scc. and hence 
this great Doctor of the Church concludes, that much more we, who 
ever need the Holy Ghost as our guide and teacher in the way of truth, 
should rest hoth our reason, and words, and deeds upon the Word of God. 
The same Doctor in his Morals, Canon xxvi. ch. i. says that the Teacher 
should confirm every word, or thing, hy the witness of the Divhuly-inspired 
Scripture, for the more perfect confirmation of the truth, and for the con- 
founding of error. 

4 That we ought to refer all doctrine to the Word of God every one may 
learn from the following testimony : Prove all things, hold fast that which 
is good; ahstain from every evil thing. 1 Thess. v. 21,22. Believe not every 
spirit, hut try the spirits whether they he of God ; hecause many false pro- 
phets are gone out into the world. 1 John iv. 1. Though we, or an Angel 
from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you heside that which ive have 
preached, let him he accursed. Gal. i. 8. 

Basil the Great in his Morals, Canon Ixxii. bids us prove any doctrine 
which may he proposed to us hy other teachers ; and if it he agreeable to the 
Divine Scriptures, then to receive it; hut if it he contrary, to reject it, and to 
turn away from such teachers. For just the same reasons, St. Ambrose, 
lib. iii. De Fide, ch. vii. calls the Holy Scripture the Priest's own hook ; and 
Dionysius the Areopagite, in his book on the Divine Hierarchy, ch. i. calls 
it the very essence of Priesthood. 

XII. 

None other books are to be held by us as Divine Scripture 
or called the Word of God than the two volumes of the Old 
and New Testaments. Of this we are assured by the text 
itself of the said Testaments^ and by the things therein 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



163 



written' : this the Church of Christ teaches ^ : and the Doctors part 

I. 

of the Church attest the same^. 

1 The text of the above-mentioned books is not simply human ; but was 
written by revelation and command of God, by the Holy Ghost. The 
Apostle Peter, in his second Epistle, says, that no jprofhecy of Scripture is 
of its own interpretation : for prophecy came not ever hy the will of man ; 
hut holy men of God spake as they were moved hy the Holy Ghost, eh. i. 20, 
21. And the Apostle Paul says ; The Gospel which was preached of me, is 
not after man, neither of man; hut hy the revelation of Jesus Christ. Gal. 
i. 11, 12, To the same effect also is that in the Epistle to the Hebrews ; 
i. 1 . God Who at sundry times, and in divers manners &c. 

And so were revealed things past, as the creation of the world to Moses, 
and things future, both to him and to the other prophets, from God alone. 
Who will declare the things that have heenfrom the heginning, that we may 
know what has heen hefore, and say that it is true ? Is. xli. 26. and xliii. 9. 
The things that have heen from the heginning who shall declare unto us ? 
and, ib. 12. I have declared, and have saved. 

The same prophets were ordered by the Lord also to write : Write this 
for a memorial in a hook. Ex. xvii. 14. In like manner Is. xxx. 8. 
Jer. xxx. 2. And in the New Testament : What thou seest write in a hook, 
and send it to the Churches. Rev. i. 11. 19. 

But the things committed to writing in the above-named Testaments sur- 
pass all human reason. Let any one seriously consider the creation of the 
world, and its order, the miracles wrought in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and 
in the Wilderness ; or, in the New Testament, the Incarnation of Jesus 
Christ the Son of God, His miracles, the Resurrection from the dead, the 
outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles, and the conversion of the 
Gentiles by their preaching to Christ ; all which answer not to the reason 
or power of man, nor of any other creature, but to the Almighty power and 
unsearchable wisdom of God alone. And thus, both the writing of the text 
itself, and the things written there, and the fulfilments of prophecies, give us 
the strongest and most incontrovertible assurance, that the said two Testa- 
ments are indeed the Word of God. 

2 Canon Ixxxv. of those attributed to the Apostles ; Canon Iviii. of the 
Council of Laodicea, according to the Nomocanon, or Ix. as it stands in 
the Pandects ; and Canon xxiv. according to the Nomocanon, or xxvii. in 
the Pandects, of the Council of Carthage, enumerate the books of the Old 
and New Testaments, and give them the name of Divine Scripture ; and 
the Canon above mentioned of the Council of Carthage runs thus ; Let 
nothing besides the books named in the Canons, be reckoned in the Church 
under the na^ne of Divine Scripture. 

The Doctors of the Church attest the same. Athanasius the Great, in 
his thirty-ninth Epistle on Holy-days, (mentioned above in section xxi.) 

M 2 



164 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, and in his Synopsis of the Old and New Testament ; St. Gregory the 

'. — . Divine, in his verses ; St. Amphilochius Bishop of Iconium, in his lamhics to 

Seleucius ; (p. 265, 266. of the Nomocanon ;) St. John Damascene in his 
fourth book on the Faith, ch. 17. have enumerated by name all the books of 
both Testaments, and have taught us the same doctrine respecting them. 
And all the other Fathers and Doctors of the Church, Avhenever they say in 
their writings that the Word of God, or Holy Scripture, teaches us this or 
that, mean nothing else by Scripture, but the writings of the Old and 
New Testaments. 

XIII. 

The writings of the holy Fathers are of great use : for they 
contain either the very same articles of the faith explained 
from the Word of God ; or instructions serviceable for holy 
living; or else canons and rules for the discipline and good 
order of the Church, and of the whole Christian community, 
which we call traditions Ecclesiastical. Wherefore we both 
may, and on occasion ought in our discourses to quote from 
the writings of the holy Fathers also such passages, as may 
be suitable for the explanation of any article of the faith, 
or for confirmation of our doctrine delivered to the people. 
But neither the writings of the holy Fathers, nor the tradi- 
tions of the Church are to be confounded or equalled with 
the W ord of God, and His commandments : for the Word of 
God^ is one thing; but the writings of the holy Fathers^, and 
traditions Ecclesiastical^ are another. 

1 It has been said in section xii. of the Word of God, that it is con- 
tained in the Old and New Testaments, in the books of the Prophets and 
Apostles: but here it is to be further remarked, that whatever command- 
ments there may be in either Testament, as, for instance ; Wash you, make 
you clean, 'put aivay the evil from your souls : learn to do vjell, defend the 
oppressed: Is. i. 16, 17. and in the New Testament; Take heed that no 
man deceive you : Mat. xxiv. 4. TaJce heed to yourselves, lest at any time 
your hearts he overcharged loith surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of 
this life : Luke xxi. 34. Take heed unto yourselves and to all tlie flock : 
Acts XX. 28. and the like ; they are all equally God's commandments, and 
are all alike contained by implication in the Decalogue. 

2 The writings of the holy Fathers are books composed by them, which 
contain either explanations of the Word of God, or homilies of their own 
founded on it and preached to the people, or other matters, on which the. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



165 



necessities of the Cliurch and the g'eneral good required treatises at the pAFT 
time; and such treatises they accordingly wrote, as was their duty, with ^' 
the assisting grace of the Holy Ghost. 

3 Traditions Ecclesiastical are canons and constitutions, by which is 
defined ; how the Ecclesiastical community is to be governed ; what festi- 
vals are to be kept to the glory of God ; when ; and with what observances. 
Fasting again is by the Lord's own commandment: but when to keep fast; 
and w^hen not ; and with what distinctions of food ; this we have from tra- 
dition. Briefly ; the whole body of Orders, Services, and Sacraments of 
the Church, the principle of which we have in the Word of God, is called, 
and is indeed, the Ecclesiastical Tradition, 

Here it will not be out of place to mention the distinction which 
St. Basil the Great lays down between the Lord's commandments and 
traditions. In our time, says he, many men openly neglect our Saviour'' s 
commandments, while they follow rather the traditions of m^n. For 
to live in mountains and deserts, to shut oneself up in a cell, to eat only 
once in the day, to refrain altogether even from hread and water, to wear 
sackcloth, and the like, is the tradition of holy men devised for good j 
hut they who do these things ought first to keep the Lord's command- 
ments ; those of long-suffering, I m^an, and truth ; humility and temper- 
ance, forgetfuliuss of injuries and indifference to ivorldly things ; those of 
faith and patience, and charity unfeigned, without which it is impossible 
to please God. And further on in the same homily : For me, if any one 
keep not these commandments of the Lord, hut swear and lie, and slander^ 
and rejoice at ivhat is amiss in others; I receive him not, no, not though he 
live his vjhole life in sackcloth and ashes, and ohstain from every single 
kind of food. See the Prolog-ue (or Book of Homilies) for the month of 
August, Day xvii. And in another place the same St. Basil writes thus: 
Fasting and watching, and lying on the ground, and all else that is done 
without the law of the Lord, Christ will receive, for they are the traditions 
of holy men : hut Re will not punish any who for their hodily weahuss 
neglect such things. But of His oion cominandments He has said, that He 
vjill disown and punish ivith torments all, loho of slothfulness transgress : 
&c. See the Prologue, August xviii, 

HOW THE PRIEST OUGHT TO TEACH. 
XIV. 

The method in which it is the Priest^s duty to teach the 
people is not single, but fivefold. I. It is his duty to teach 
the faith, and perfect men in it day by day. II. To refute 
and root out all heretical, impious, or superstitious doctrine 



166 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, contrary to the faitli. III. To correct and bring back such 
— ~ — as have fallen into sin. IV. To guide and confirm in holy 
living the faithful and well disposed. V. To comfort and 
restore them that are in sorrow and despair. These are the 
different forms or methods of teachings which the pastor of 
the Church must use^ with due distinction according to cir- 
cumstances, and according to the state of the persons with 
whom he has to do. 

This fivefold distinction of the kinds or branches of teaching was laid 
down by the Apostle Paul when he wrote thus : All Scripture is given hy 
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc- 
tion, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may he perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17: and of the 
fifth kind of teaching, Rom. xv. 4 : Whatsoever things loere written afore- 
time, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort 
of the Scriptures might have hope. On this point bear the words of God in 
Ezekiel xxxiv. 4 ; where the Lord rebukes the careless shepherds, and 
enumerates the different modes of tending the flock. In the Spiritual 
Regulation (Head vii. in the Appendix, on the clergy) the difterent kinds 
of teaching are mentioned, and distinguished one from another. 

XV. 

With regard to the first kind ; if the Priest while he teaches 
his people the faith finds that they are not the more enlightened 
for his doctrine, he is to remember that he should not burden 
them with high and difl&cult theological disquisitions on doc- 
trines, nor with words needing much explanation ; but it is 
enough to teach them those Articles of the Faith, which are 
strictly necessary for salvation; propounding them in few, 
plain, and simple words, and proving them by one or two 
passages from the Word of God : nor should he leave ex- 
plaining any one Article upon which he has begun, till it be 
clearly understood, and correctly repeated by his hearers. 

The Priest may teach by question and answer (as is the method in the 
short Catechism printed at Moscow) both for the easier understanding of 
others, and also that he may himself be able by means of the questions to 
examine his hearers, whether they have understood what has been said or 
no. This method of teaching was commonly used by the ancient Doctors 
of the Church, and was called Catechizing. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



167 



XVI. 

Since faitli always has for its end godliness, according to 
that command of the Apostle, Exercise thyself unto godliness, 
(1 Tim. iv. 7.) it will be very much to the purpose, and very 
profitable, if the Priest, in teaching the Articles of the Faith, 
draw from them such instructions as may serve to a Chris- 
tian life, and may be besides more particularly suited to the 
state of his people. 

When the Priest lays down this dogma of the faith, that God is a Spirit, 
he should deduce hence the inference, that the worship likewise and the 
sacrifice offered to Him must be spiritual: Rom. xii. 1. so that outward or 
bodily worship, and material sacrifices, as lights, incense, and other ofier- 
ings and devotions, without spiritual piety, and good living, cannot be 
agreeable to Him. Is. i. 11, 12. 17. So again ; when he teaches them that 
God is every where, and Jilleth all things, he shoidd draw the inference, 
that we can nowhere hide ourselves with our sins from Him. When he 
teaches \hdit Godi freely and o/^^mce, through the name of His Son, /or- 
gives them that believe in Him their sins, he should infer, that we are so 
much the more bound to keep His commandments ; as it is written in the 
Epistle to the Ephesians. xx. 8, 9, 10. The like method he should also use 
in explaining the other articles of the faith : for so his people will learn at 
once to live holily, and to believe aright, and both will be more firmly 
rooted in their minds. 

XVII. 

Further, every instruction should be accompanied by fer- 
vent prayer to God, after the Apostle^s example (Ephes. i. 
16, 17.) that He vouchsafe to open the mind and heart of 
the hearers, to understand and receive His word ; (Luke 
xxiv. 45. Acts xvi. 14.) that the seed sown in them remain 
not unfruitful ; that it be not devoured by evil birds, nor 
choked by the thorns of the cares of this Life ; (Mat. xiii. 22.) 
nor so that very word, which is the instrument of our salva- 
tion, become to them a greater condemnation, by rendering 
them altogether speechless at the judgment. (John xii. 48, 
and XV. 22.) Wherefore also he should exhort his hearers 
that they too in their own houses, and in secret, make with 
tears the same petition to God. 



168 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. XYIII. 

~ As for the better-educated classes in town parishes^ it has 
been customary from of old time to teach such by sermons, 
called homilies; the composition^ of which depending on the 
ordinary rules of rhetoric^ and on a special course of instruc- 
tion, they who would be skilled in this branch may betake 
themselves thither to learn : here we judge no more needful 
to be stated than this, that in the composition and delivery 
of their sermons preachers of the word of God should be very 
careful not to make praise, honour, or any other personal 
advantage^ the end of their labours, but only God's glory, and 
the edification of their hearers ; according to those words of 
the Apostle ; Our exhortation was not of deceit j nor of unclean- 
ness, nor in guile ; but as we were allowed of God to be put in 
trust with the Gospel, even so we speak ; not as pleasing men, 
but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used 
we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness ; 
God is witness ; nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, 
nor yet of others. So being affectionately desirous of you, we 
were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of God 
only, but also our own souls. 1 Thess. ii. 3 . . 6. 8.^ 

1 Chiysostom on the Priestliood, v. 6. says ; Let not the Preacher, who has 
taken wpon himself the labour of instruction, regard outward popularity, 
nor for it degrade his soid ; hut with this intent alone let him compose his 
discourses, that they he such as to please God. Let this he his sole rule and 
measure of excellence in their composition, not the plaudits or praise of 
men : should it so chance that he he praised of men also, let him nx)t reject 
their praise ; hut when he meets with no praise from his hearers, let him 
not seek it, nor he vexed ; for this is comfort enough for him in his labours, 
and the greatest of all comforts, to he conscious within himself that he hm 
composed his sermon to please God, and in his teaching looks solely to 
Him. Again, Serm. viii. on EpLes. lie writes ; Lt is the virtue of teachers 
not to seek honour or glory from their hearers, hut their salvation, and to use 
all diligence for this : for whoso seeks glory is 7iot a teacher, but a tormentor. 

2 Gregory, in his Homilies, says ; The adulterer seeketh not offspring, hut 
the gratification of lust : so the preacher who is led captive by vain glory, 
may justly be called an adulterer with the Word of God ; for by preaching 
he seeks not to beget children to God, hut to boast himself in his own 
eloquence. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



169 



PART 

XIX. I 

As regards the second kind of teachings that is, the refuta- 
tion of heretics • if any wolf shew himself without, or if any 
one of the sheep have sucked the wolfs milk of heretics and 
infidels, and so become a wolf, and begin to tear the other 
sheep by his soul-destroying doctrine from the sa\dng fold of 
Christ^s Church ; with such a one the Pastor should deal first 
privately, shewing him by clear and strong proofs his errors : 
(.2 Tim. ii. 25.) But if he remain obstinate, and there be no 
hope, nor any other means to recover him to the true way, 
and there be manifest danger of his drawing others after 
him, then the Pastor should publicly in the church, without 
naming or in any way noticing the person, expose the heresy, 
and all that is in it contrary to Christ^s doctrine, and 
refute it by clear and solid proofs from the Word of God, 
and by testimonies of ancient Doctors ; still without the least 
railing : (2 Tim. ii. 24.) for railing will not bring an adversary 
to the knowledge of the truth, but only make him more 
bitter, more fierce, and more blind. At the same time he 
should admonish all faithful people of his charge not to listen 
to any such soul-destroying doctrine, but as far as possible, 
in obedience to the Apostle^s command, to turn away from 
him, from whom it proceeds. Tit. iii. 10. ^ 

1 Augustine, in his Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, Treat, xlvi. 
says; The wolf has already seized the slieephy the throat ; the devil has taught 
heresy to him that icas orthodox ; and thou art silent : thou dost not forhid 
him : thou fearest to provoke him. hireling ! thou sawest the wolf, and 
thou fleddest. May he thou icilt say, xYo, I a?n here. Here indeed thou art, 
but thou fieest, in that thou art silent. 

XX. 

Such reproof should certainly be with zeal, (Tit. i. 13.) 
but zeal according to God, proceeding not from enmity, 
nor any other passion, as in the case of false apostles, (Gal. 
iv. 17.) but from earnestness for God's glory, and for the 
salvation of men ; and besides this, it should be reasonable 
and guarded ; for a blind zeal, even though it be according 



170 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, to God, is rejected : (Luke ix. 54. Kom. x. 2.) still less should 

' — it be tliat hypocritical and time-serving zeal^ which shews 

itself in security as a lion, but in time of danger as a hare : 
yet should it be not without meekness^; (2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. 
2 Thess. iii. 15.) which will go excellently well together with 
zeal, if while the Pastor is warm and vehement against heresy, 
he have his heart wounded for the persons of them that err, 
and quench the thunder of his words with his tears ^. 

1 Canon Ixvi. of the Council of Cartilage has these words : It is Jit to use 
meekness and humiliti/ in addi-essing the Donatists (aliens and schis- 
matics) and conferring ivith them, though they cut themselves off from 
the Church ; that so beholding our great meehness, they may he ashamed, 
and return from the hondage of error. On this point see Chrysost. on 
2 Tim. Horn. vi. 

2 Augustine, Epist. Ixi. to the Bishop Auielius, writes thus: Let a man 

forbid and hinder toith mildness what he can ; but what he cannot, let him 
bear with 'patience, sighing and weeping with tears of charity. 

XXI. 

The third kind of teaching, as has been shewn above, is 
the correcting of such as live wickedly and disorderly; and 
this kind requires so much the more caution and prudence' 
than the rest, as the office of the physician is more diffi- 
cult and dangerous with the sick, than with the healthy. 
And first, with regard to dissolute livers, the Priest should 
begin by dealing privately with the party alone, in the 
same manner as has been directed above with regard to 
such as have fallen into heresy ; especially if the disorders of 
the party have not yet come to be publicly known in the 
Church : (Mat. xviii. 15, 16.) But if private admonitions avail 
not, and the disorder be already notorious, or if there be 
many at once infected with the same sin ; in such case it will 
be proper for the spiritual physician to deal publicly and 
generally, taking care duly to proportion the remedy to the 
disease : (1 Tim. v. 20.) yet not even so to expose the parties 
themselves, who are in fault, but only to set forth the hate- 
fulness, the foulness, and the dangerousness of the wound 
which he is treating^. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



171 



1 Cbrysostom in his book on the Priesthood, Part ii. says ; A Pastor PAl 

should have much discretion, and eyes innuraerahle, to enahle him to surveij '- 

on all sides the state of the soul. For as there are many u-ho throw au:ai) 
cdlhope of amendment, and fall into despair of salvation, from not heing 

able to endure sharp treatment ; so on the other hand there are some also, 
u-ho if they meet v:ith no discipline adequate to their disorders, hecorne con- 
temptuous and careless, and so are ')nade worse than before, and run to 
greater lengths of sin. For it becomes us to leave nothing untried, but after 
diligently considering all circumstances, to apply that treatment which is 
suitable for the case. For more on the subject of this difficulty and need 
of caution, see the same Part, ch. iii. and iy. 

2 The same Father on Mat. xviii, says ; Sin is either open, or secret : if 
open, let it be openly rebulced ; if secret, then the right thing is brotlierly 
admonition betwixt thyself and the party in private. 

The blessed Augustine says ; If thou hiowest that thy brother has sinned 
against thee, and thou seekest to reluJce him before all, thou art not a teacJier, 
but a betrayer. WJiat is this, 'hath sinned against tliee V Thou Imovjest 
that he hath sinned : but since it loas in secret, lulien he simud against thee, 
seek thou out a secret place, wJien tliou rebuTcest him for his sin. 

XXII. 

To this kind of teaching it properly belongs to point out^ 
I. the difference of wilful from involuntary sin ; of deliberate 
sins from sins of ignorance or infii'mity ; and the enormity 
of the first sort^ drawing down the sinner straight to the pit 
of heU : (Numb. xv. 27, 30.) also that wilful sin often grows 
up into that unpardonable sin_, which resists the Holy Ghost 
and His gracious influences. (Heb. vi. 4. 9. x. 26. 1 John v. 
16.) To this kind of teaching in like manner it belongs to 
shew the power of habitual sin ; its dominion over the sinner ; 
and the difficulty of deliverance from it : II. To shew the 
connection of one sin with another; and how quickly men 
progress from one ti'ansgression to another : III. To set be- 
fore the eyes of sinners the wrath of God ; the approaching 
J udgmentj which shall be terrible even to the righteous ; the 
loss of the happiness of heaven, the inheritance of torments 
in hell, and theii' eternal dAiration : IV. Lastly it belongs to 
this kind to teach_, in what true repentance consists; and 
that it should be continued not only till after Confession, 
but to the very hour of death; even though the outward 



172 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, penance imposed by the Confessor be only for a short time. 

'-^ But of this more shall be said below, when we treat of the 

Sacrament of Penitence. 

XXIII. 

But if any where, then certainly here, and among us, beyond 
all people, the word of reproof should be spoken with godly 
zeal : here every Priest should have that word of God sound- 
ing in his ears ; C?'?/ aloud, and spare not, lift up thy voice like 
a trumpet, and shew My people their transgressions: (Is. hdii. 1.) 
and the commandment of Paul to Timothy; Preach the 
ivord, he instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, 
exhort. (2 Tim. iv. 2.) But if here the pastor begin to mumble 
between his teeth, or what is worse, to be even complying, 
and so, as God saith by the Prophet, lay as it were a pillow 
under every arm, a bolster under every head, saying Peace, 
peace, where there is no peace ; (Ezek. xiii. 10, 18, 19.) or, at 
any rate, thunder only at the poor and mean, while he 
flatters the rich and noble, or leaves them without due 
spiritual reproof; such a pastor is not the physician of his 
sheep, but their murderer ^ 

1 Cbrysostom, on Gal. i. says ; To speak for ever mildly to one's hearers, 
when they need sharpness, is not the part of a teacher, hut of a destroyer and 
an enemy. WJierefore the Lord also, though He said many things to His 
disciples mildly, sometimes used harsh expressions. He said to Peter; 
' Blessed art thou Simon, Bar-jona and -promised to lay the foundation 
of the Church on his confession ; hiU afterwards He said; ' Get thee behind 
Me, Satan ; thou art an offence unto Me.'' And again, in another place ; 
' A j'C ye also yet ivithout understanding ? ' 

XXIV. 

But that we may not by putting a piece of rough new cloth 
to an old garment, make the rent worse, (Mat. ix. 16.) it is 
quite necessary that the teaching, rebuke, and exhortation 
aforesaid be tempered by the spirit of meekness, and patience. 
(Gal. vi. 1. 2 Tim. ii. 25.) And certainly the pastor who 
follows Christ will not pour into fresh wounds yet smarting 
wine only, but wine and oiP. (Luke x. 34.) For he cannot do 
otherwise, if he have the bowels of a father and of a mother. 



ON THE DUTY OP PARISH PRIESTS. 



173 



as he ought to have, (1 Thess. xi. 7.) than grieve with St. Paul PART 

over sinners ; (Gal. iv. 19. 2 Cor. xi. 29.) and wash their '— 

wounds, like the same Apostle and other true pastors of old, 
not in the church only, but also upon his couch with his 
tears. Acts xx. 19. 31. 2 Cor. ii. 4 xii. 21. Philipp. iii. 18.' 

1 St. Ignatius Theophorus, in his Epistle to the holy Martyr Polycarp 
Bishop of Smyrna says ; Take up all, as the Lord also hath taken up thee ; 
carry all upon thy shoulders in charity. And again ; Bear the weaknesses of 
all, as a perfect athlete ; where there is the greater labour, there also shall he 
the most reivard : If thou lovest good disciples, thou hast 7io thanks : strive 
rather to subdue them that he obstinate hy meekness : Not every wound is 
healed hy the same medicine ; that which is angry mollify by pouring in oil. 

2 Chrysostom on 2 Cor. Horn, xxviii. writes thus: And I shall bewail 
many which have sinned already, &c. not merely '•have sinned^ hut also ''have 
not repented^ Consider the goodness of the Apostle ; when he knows no evil 
of himself, he %oeeps for the evil that is in others, and humbles himself for 
their sins : for this is the perfection of our teaching, thus to sympathize 
with the ills of our disciples ; thus to weep and mourn over the loounds of our 
hearers. The same Father on Acts, Horn. xliv. at the passage, Watch, and 
remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to ivarn every one of 
you night and day with tears ; and in other homilies on the Epistles is 
very full on this pastoral duty. 

XXV. 

The Priest should never cease to admonish sinners, so long 
as they cease not to sin : for the true physician leaves not 
the sick, so long as there be in him any hope, however 
small, of life. And we ought not to despair of the salvation 
even of those who lead the worst lives ; since God has His 
own particular hours for calling us whether to faith, or to 
repentance : some He calls very early ; others at the third 
hour ; others at the sixth, or ninth : lastly, He has mercy 
even for those, who have remained idle almost to the very 
evening, to the eleventh hour. (Mat. xx. 1. 6.) Wherefore 
we ought here also to follow the example of the Apostles, 
and though we may have toiled all night, and taken nothing, 
yet again, let doivn our teacher^ s nets in the name of the Lord. 
Luke V. 5.^ 

1 Chrysostom Mor. vi. on 1 Tim. says ; We have already spoken largely 
to you of this, and ivill not cease to speak : unless indeed there he something 



174 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, better ; that is, that ye shew yourselves amended. And further on in the same 
'■ Discourse ; If ye desire not to have us burdensome and grievous to you, act ; 

shew that our work is done ; else we shall never cease to speaTc to you of 

the same things. 

XXVI. 

The fourth kind of teaching consists in this^ that the Priest 
guide the faithful in holy living. In this work the pastor 
should first admonish and persuade his people, that faith 
without good works is dead, (James ii. 19, 20. 26.) and no more 
pleasing to God than a putrid corpse ; and that hence it often 
happens, that they who, like Hymeneus and Alexander, have 
put away a good conscience, (1 Tim. i. 19, 20.) openly fall away 
from the faith. At the same time he should explain to them 
what true Christian virtue is ; how far remote, not only from 
feigned, but also from philosophical or civil virtue, which 
seeks not God's glory but its own advantage; also, that the 
Christian virtues, as springing from one root, which is the love 
of God, are all so closely interwoven together, that he who 
touches so much as one of them, injures their whole band : 
(James ii. 10.) Lastly, he should imprint it deeply on their 
hearts, that the way to heaven is narrow, and the gate which 
leadeth to everlasting life strait. Mat. vii. 13, 14. 

XXVII. 

The fifth and last kind of teaching is to comfort the 
afflicted. Afflictions are some spiritual, others bodily; and 
of spiritual afflictions some are those of penitents, who weep 
for their transgressions, (Mat. v. 4.) and not unfrequently, from 
a sense of their enormity, despair of God's mercy ; (2 Cor. ii. 
7, 8.) others are those of persons who live religiously, but 
sulFer temptations from the flesh, (1 Pet. ii, 11.) the world, 
(1 Johnii. 15.) and the devil. (1 Pet. v. 8, 9.) Bodily afflictions 
on the other hand are either such as happen in common to 
the religious and the ungodly, as famine, war, pestilence &c. ; 
or else such as are peculiar to the first, as persecution for 
the faith ^, and the like. (1 Pet. i. 6, 7. iii. 14.) In all these 
forms of affliction the skilful pastor will give to them that need 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



175 



it consolation abundantly, from the Word of God^ as from an part 

ever flowing fountain; (2 Cor. i. 4, 5.) but as for them that '■ — 

need it not, that is, unrepenting sinners, if he were to give 
it to such, it would not heal them, but turn to their greater 
harm : for such require sharp, not mild remedies ; reproof, 
rather than consolation. 

1 If the Priest lias to comfort any who suffer for righteousness' sake, 
especially for our holy faith, he should caution such, that they, as Christians 
and good people, do all they can to avoid giving occasion of themselves for 
persecution ; and that they walk blamelessly in all things, i^or this is 
acceptable with God, says the Apostle Peter, if a man for conscience towards 
God endure grief, suffering wrooigfidly. For what glory is it, if ye suffer 
for your faults ? hut if when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it 
patiently, this is acceptable with God. 1 Pet. ii. 19, 20. Christialns who 
thus suffer, have fellowship in Christ's sufferings, and glorify God on this 
behalf. lb. iv. 15, 16. 

XXYIII. 

With regard to them that are tempted, not of God, but of 
their own lust, (James i. 13, 14.) the Priest should bear in 
mind that it is not comfort only which they need of him, but 
also admonition, that they make not light of that their evil 
propensity^, but humble themselves before God, crying out 
with the Apostle, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver 
me from the body of this death? (Rom. 24.) and that they 
strive with all their might to mortify within themselves that 
lust, which breeds their temptations, in its very conception ; 
(Col. iii. 5.) lest, having conceived, it bring forth sin; and sin 
when it is finished bring forth death. James i. 15. 

1 Unlawful desires are no small evil in a man : as we may understand 
from hence, that the Apostle Peter commands us to abstain from them ; 
because they war against the soul : (1 Pet. ii. 11.) while in the Gospel our 
Lord Jesus Christ has said, that evil thoughts, lohich proceed out of the 
heart, defile the man. Mark vii. 21, 22, 23. And therefore the tenth com- 
mandment forbids every unjust wish of the heart, and every hurtful lust. 
Thou shalt not covet, it says, thy neighbour's wife, nor his house, nor his 
Held, &c. : for which cause every one should give heed, and carefully reject 
all hurtftd thoughts and lusts ; as it is written ; Give heed to thyself, that there 
be not a secret thought of v^iclcedness in thy heart. Deut. xv. 9. St. Basil 
the Great gives us full instructions on this duty of attention to ourselves in 
one of his Sermons entitled expressly on the subject. 



176 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. 

XXIX. 

Since the sole beginner and perfecter of our holy faith^ and 
of everlasting salvation, is our Lord Jesus CMst, (Heb. xii. 2.) 
and there is none other name under heaven given among men, 
whereby we must be saved, but only His ; (Acts iv. 12.) Since 
to Him give all the Prophets ivitness, that through His name 
whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins; (Acts 
X. 43.) and that repentance is to be preached in His name; 
(Luke xxiv. 47.) it is plain that in each of the above kinds of 
teaching the Priest ought to instil the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus \ inculcate His doctrine, dwell on His exceeding com- 
passion, and possess the soul with this truth, that Christ alone 
is made unto us of God wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption. 1 Cor. i. 30. 

1 To the tmtli here stated, as the very foundation of all, we are led by 
our Saviour Himself, when He saith ; This is eternal life, that they may 
know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent. John 
xvii. 3. Wherefore Paul, for himself and the other Apostles, saith thus : 
We preach Christ crucified ; the power of Ood, and the wisdom of Ood. 

1 Cor. i. 23, 24. And in another place, We preach Christ, which is the 
hope of glory ; warning every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom; 
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Col. i. 28. In pur- 
suance of the above doctrine of Christ, and the example of the Apostles, 
every pastor of the Church, and preacher of the Word of God, in every 
kind or branch of teaching-, whether he teach faith, or holy living, whether 
he correct the sinner, or comfort the afflicted, and raise the fallen, ought 
according to circumstances to set forth ; at one time, that Christ is the Son 
of God, the Light of the world, and that he who followeth Him, shall not 
walk in darkness ; at another, that He is the Good Shepherd, Wlio Imth laid 
doion His life for the sheep; that He is the Lamh of God, that taketh away 
the sins of the world; that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; that He 
is the Door ; the Resurrection; the awful Judge; and that He shall render to 
every man according to his works; while upon such as know not God, nor 
ohey the preaching of the Gospel, He shall take vengeance in flaming fire : 

2 Thess. i. 8. and so with the rest. In every case, I say, according to 
circumstances, he can implant, and is in duty bound to implant the know- 
ledge of Christ Jesus : and so all instruction, and every particular instruc- 
tion should be grounded on Christ: for all that can be either written or 
said in reference to the Faith and to everlasting happiness, if it be not 
grounded on faith in Christ, is unfruitful, and can never save. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



177 



XXX. 

As for the last point of this First Part_, that is, where, and 
when it is the Priest^s duty to teach_, it is added to this end, 
that Priests may not think the church the only place, or 
Sundays and Holy- days the only times for teaching : not so ; 
but, after the example of the Apostle Paul, they must teach 
both in the church jow^/ic/^, and ?^\&ofrom house to house ; (Acts 
XX. 20.) all in common, and every one in particular ; (lb. 31 . and 
1 Thess. ii. 11.) day, and night ; (Acts xx. 31.) in season, and out 
of season^. (2 Tim. iv. 31.) Priests ought, when they visit the 
houses of their parishioners, duly to examine whether they 
live godly lives ; whether each fulfil the duties of his or her 
state and calling ; husbands and wives theirs ; parents theirs ; 
children theirs; masters and householders theirs; servants and 
labourers theirs : and if it seem to be otherwise, then they 
should do their best, both with every class, and with every soul 
in every class, according to circumstances, to correct them, in 
such wise as may be needed. And such visits, even though 
they be often repeated, will not oflPend the people, so long as 
they feel that their Priest comes to them not for drink or 
presents, but solely to seek, as he is bound, their salvation. 

1 Chiysostom, on 2 Tim., Horn, ix., writes thus : What is season' ? It 
is this : Have no limited time : have time always : not only in peace and 
ease ; nor only when thou sittest in the church ; hut also in danger itself : 
though thou he shut wp in prison, or loaded with irons : though thou he 
already condemned, and leading to death : even then reprove, and cease not to 
rehuke : for then only will it he no season to rehuhe, when thy reproof shall 
have had effect. 

XXXI. 

This is absolutely required from the Priest by his pastoral 
office. For if he is bound not to let one sheep be lost, (Luke 
XV. 4.) and though he have kept the ninety and nine, must 
pay for the one that is lost by his negligence with his own 
soul, he must assuredly look after each one of his parish- 
ioners^, watch the state of each, and know exactly, and have it 
as it were written on the palm of his hand, whether such an 
one abide by God^s grace in health, or be diseased with sin, and 

N 



178 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, with what particular sin, and since what time, and how dan- 

^ — gerous the disease, and what the particular remedy required^? 

all which the Priest cannot do without close inspection, and 
knowledge of their hves, nor without going about among 
them, and administering to each such admonition as may be 
suitable : for there is no one common remedy for all diseases. 
The skilful physician, who has to see many sick of divers dis- 
eases, examines personally their symptoms, and then pre- 
scribes particular remedies for each^ 

1 St. Chrysostom, on Heb., Horn, xxxiv., hath the following words : For 
all who are entrusted to thy care, for men, ivomen, and children, thou, 
Priest, shalt give account. 

2 The same'Father, on Mat., Horn, ix., writes thus : As the careful house- 
holder in his house Jcnovjs vjhat is needful for each person, so also should 
the Priest hiow the morals, the actions, and the conversation of all, that he 
may he able to give such medicine as is suitable to each ; comfort to whom 
comfort, rebuke to whom YebuTce. 

3 For this cause, on all domestic occasions also, at which the Priest may 
be present, as at commemorations, at anointing, or simply visiting the sick, 
and, especially, at the confession and communion of the dying, and other 
like occasions, the careful Priest will not fail to offer such instruction and 
discourse, as may be suitable for the time, and may profit both the sick and 
the rest who are present : and so, turning the house itself into a church, 
and giving spiritual food to the sick and others met therein, he will not be 
found in the number of those unhappy pastors, at whom the Apostle Jude 
pointed as it were with his finger, when he wrote ; These are spots in 
your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without 
fear ; clouds they are without water, trees withered, without fruit : v. 12, 

XXXII. 

And so great being this work of teaching, not only in church 
but also from house to house, not only in season, but also out 
of season, not only at set times, with preparation, but also at 
any moment, and off-hand, we cannot fail to see how needful 
it is for the Priest to abound both in word, and in wisdom, 
in order to the well fulfilling of this his vast duty : and the 
only way hereto is, that he be skilled, and almost nourished 
up from a child in holy Scripture. 1 Tim. iv. 6. 

XXXIII. 

From what has been said in the preceding sections of the 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



179 



absolute necessity of learning for the Priesthood, it follows part 
that every Priest and Deacon, and indeed every aspirant to — — — 
the Priesthood, should without fail, so far as time and 
strength permit, apply their whole souls to the study of holy 
Scripture'; and for a right understanding therein call upon 
the Lord with Da^dd ; Give me undey^standing , and I will 
search out Thy law : Open Thou mine eyes, and I shall under- 
stand. At the same time, they should not neglect to study 
the more necessary Canons of the holy Fathers, and their 
writings, as well as Ecclesiastical history, but should duly apply 
themselves to these studies, and collect therefrom various ex- 
amples and precedents, apt analogies and illustrations, and 
other knowledge bearing upon the duties of their calling. But 
if any one is not disposed or not able to do this, then neither 
should he aspire to the order of Priesthood ^ 

1 That the Pastor of the Church should be learned in the divinely-inspired 
Scripture, and keep the Word of God ever in his mind, the Lord Himself 
enjoins, speaking thus : Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, 
and forget not all My vjords, and let them not depart from thy heart all the 
days of thy life, hut teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons. Deut. iv. 9. And 
again : The hook of My covenant shall not depart out of thy mouth, hut 
thou shalt m.editate in it day and night, that thou mayest widerstand to do 
all things that are written : then thou shalt he 'prospered, and shalt direct 
thy ways aright. Jos. i. 8. 

To the same effect the Apostle urges, and exhorts : Give attendance to 
reading, to exhortation, to doctrine : meditate upon these things ; continue 
in them : (tc. 1 Tim. iv. 13, 15. Let the word of Christ dwell in you 
richly, with all wisdom. Col. iii. 16. 

St. Jerome, from Origen, Mor. vi. on Lev. viii., has the following : If any 
one vjill he a Priest not in na'/ne only, hut in deed, let him imitate Moses ; 
let him imitate Aaron. For what is vjritten of these ? ' They departed not,' 
saith the Scripture, '■from the Tahernacle of the Lord ;' for Moses was con- 
tinually in the Tahernacle of the Lord. But what need had he to he there ? 
Either that he might himself learn something from God, or else that he 
might teach something to His people. These are the Priest's two duties : 
the first, to learn himself from God hy reading the Divine Scriptures, and 
hourly meditating thereon ; the second, to teach his people ; to teach this, 
that is, which he has himself learned from God ; not of his ovm will, nor 
of the reason of man, hut as the Holy Ghost teacheth. 

2 The Lord hy the Prophet Hosea rejects from the Priesthood the care- 

N 2 



180 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, less Priest; and threatens his whole house : Because thou, saith He, hast re- 

— ^ jected My doctrine, I will also reject thee, that thou shcdt he no Priest to Me : 

seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy 
children. Hos. iv. 6. 

The Apostle prescribed not to raise to the Order of Priesthood such as 
are ignorant in the law, and live disorderly, but such as are able to teach 
others, and are of blameless life. The things that thou hast heard of me, 
he says, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall he ahle to teach 
others also. 2 Tim. ii. 2. 

The second canon of the seventh (Ecumenical Council has these words : 
Whosoever ivould he a Bishop, (the same is to be understood of a Priest,) 
must he ahle to explain the Psalter, and understand all that he reads, and 
more than that, must have studied it, the sacred Canons, the holy Oospel, the 
hooks of the Apostles, and all Divine Scri'pture : otherwise, let him not he 
ordained. 

St. Chrysostom in his fourth book on the Priesthood, writes of this at 
large ; and forcibly exhorts the Priest, that he fail not, as heing the pastor 
of the Church, to give himself to the study of Divine Scripture, and he not 
only himself learned in it, hut also in other sciences : and in support of 
this he brings weighty reasons. On the other hand, if any one be careless, 
and unlikely to know how to ground men by the Word of God in th e holy 
faith, or guide them to repentance ; then, since such a Priest does great 
harm to his parishioners, and will himself certainly fall under God's judg- 
ment, he for this cause, in the first chapter of the same Discourse, forbids 
to raise any such to the order of Priesthood. Here the Priest should re- 
member the parables in the Gospel, of the wicked Husbandmen; Mat. xxi. 
and of the Servants, ivho received from their Lord the Talents ; Mat. xxv. 
and the whole of ch. xxiii. : also the Parable of the good Shepherd and the 
hireling. John x. 

XXXIV. 

In conclusion of all that has been said above, we will here, 
as a pattern of that instruction which the Priest owes his 
people by word, adduce the teaching of St. Paul, and his care 
for souls j in which, as in a pure mirror, nearly all our fore- 
going propositions are clearly to be seen. Let us look only 
at the twentieth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. 

I. What did St. Paul teach ? Does he merely repeat to his disciples the 
Lord's Prayer, Our Father, &c. ? and that too mechanically ? O how far 
was he from such unprofitable and careless teaching ! He shunned not to 
declare: that is, he kept back nothing, that was profitable, ver. 20. He testi- 
fied hoth to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance towards God, and 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



181 



faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, ver. 21. He declared unto them the PART 
whole counsel of God for their salvation, ver. 27. ^ — 

II. Wliere did he teach? Was it in churches only and assemblies? 
By no means : not only before the people, but also from house to house : 
ver. 20. not only all publicly., in their assembly, but also every one of them 
in particular, by himself, ver. 3L 

III. When did he teach ? On Sundays only and Holy-days ? or only 
during Lent ? No, not so : but day and night, hy the space of three years., 
that he abode atEphesus, ver. 31./rom the first day of his coming into Asia, 
during the whole time of his stay. ver. 18. 

IV. How did he teach ? Was it harshly, and with contention ? By no 
means: but with all humility, and with many tears, ver. 19. 

V. To what end did he teach ? May be for his own glory, and honour ? 
No, indeed : he took no care whatever for himself ; neither counted he even 
his life dear unto him ; but so laboured, only that he might finish his course 
with joy, and the ministry, which he had received of the Lord Jesus, to 
testify the Gospel of the grace of God. ver. 24. 

VI. Under what circumstances did he preach? Was he favoured by 
opportunity and ease ? Far from it : he was hindered by many trials and 
dangers, by the lying in wait of the Jews. ver. 19. 

VII. Lastly, had he diny profit, however small, by his labours? any pay- 
ment or return even for his necessary food and clothing ? No ! even this 
most due and reasonable tribute that wonderful teacher desired not. / have 
coveted, says he, no man's silver, or gold, or apparel, ver. 33. His own hands 
ministered to his necessities ; and not to his only, but also to them that were 
with him ; while he preached the Gospel both by day and night, ver. 34. 
And this was the reason that the same great teacher could so boldly at the 
last take his disciples to record, saying, / am pure from the blood of all. 
ver. 26. 



CHAPTER 11. 

OF THE 

FIRST PART OF THE PRIEST'S DUTY, 

THAT IS, OF THE 

INSTRUCTION OF HIS PARISHIONERS. 



PART 11. 

OF THAT INSTEUCTION, WHICH THE PRIEST 
OUGHT TO GIVE HIS PEOPLE BY DEED. 

THE HEADS OF THIS PART ARE : I. TO SHEW THAT IT IS THE PRIEST'S DUTY 
TO TEACH HIS PEOPLE HOLY LIVING BY HIS OWN EXAMPLE. II. TO SET 
FORTH THOSE VIRTUES WHICH PECULIARLY BECOME PRIESTS, AS ENU- 
MERATED BY THE APOSTLE PAUL: AND III. TO ADD SOME OTHERS WHICH 
ARE ALSO PROPER FOR PRIESTS. 



I. 

CHAP. The words of the teacher are so closely connected with his 
— — — life and actions, that even heathen rhetoricians have laid it 
down for a rule, that no one can be a good orator, unless he 
be a good man. For they knew this, that if he who teaches 
virtue do not himself practise it, he gains no credit with his 
hearers for what he says : for they seeing him do one thing, 
but say another, think that he praises virtue for some bye 
end and interest of his own, not because virtue deserves 
praise in itself: else he would himself have practised it. 
Hence it comes, that he, who while he preaches virtue lives 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



183 



amiss, can never speak out boldly,, lest his own conscience 

should take him up and reply, Physician, heal thyself! 

(Luke iv. 23.) And Christ Himself says ; Thou hypocrite, first 
cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shall thou see 
clearly, to cast out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. (Mat. 
vii. 5. and in Psalm 1.) Why dost thou preach My laws, and 
takest My covenant within thy mouth 7 ^c. (v. 16. 20.) On the 
contrary, when the life of a preacher agrees with his preach- 
ing, such a one preaches boldly ; being ready to say to every 
man in the words of Christ, Which of you convinceth me of 
sin ? John viii. 46 \ 

1 St. Chrysostom, Horn. v. on 2 Thess. says ; Oreat may he the teacher'' s 
boldness, when he can instruct his disciples from his own good deeds ; as 
Paul, when he said ; ' For ye yourselves know that it is fit for you to he 
like unto us ;' and in truth he should teach much more hy life, than by 
word. 

II. 

If even heathen oratory required from its professors a good 
life, much more surely the oratory of Gospel Preaching : for 
which cause Christ, when He sent the Apostles to preach, 
called them the light of the world : Ye are the light of the 
world: and at the same time explained in what this light 
should consist. Let your light, said He, so shine before men, 
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, 
which is in heaven. (Mat. v. 16.) and a little further on, (v. 19.) 
Whosoever shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the 
kingdom of Heaven. And He Himself describing the marks 
of a good pastor, among the rest lays down this : When He 
putteth forth His sheep. He goeth before them, and the sheep 
follow Him, for they knoiv His voice, (John x. 4.) that is ; it is 
not enough for a good Shepherd to call to his sheep with 
his voice only, but he must also lead them with the example 
of a virtuous life; that the sheep may follow by his track. 

III. 

As Christ to the Apostles, so did the Apostles leave this 
rule to their successors the Bishops and Priests. Peter their 
chief, when he entreats the Priests to feed the flock of God, 



184 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, at the same time points out how to feed it, not as being 

Lords over God's heritage j but as being ensamples to the flock. 

(1 Pet. V. 2, 3.) And Paul, that other chief, teaches his son 
Timothy the same, saying; Be thou an example to the be- 
lievers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, 
in purity. (1 Tim. iv. 12. and 2 Tim. iii. 10.) likewise Titus, 
when he says ; In all things shew thyself a pattern of good 
works, in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 
sound speech, that cannot be condemned. Tit. ii. 7, 8. 

IV. 

And they who have left us this rule for teachers to live 
holily, have also confirmed it by their own examples. Of 
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, St. Luke at the beginning 
of the Acts of the Apostles has these words ; Jesus began 
to DO, and teacW. Of John the Baptist Christ Himself bare 
witness saying, He was a burning and a shining light. (John 
v. 35.) Paul dares to speak of himself thus: I so run, not 
as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air ; but 
I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by 
any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should 
be a cast-away. (1 Cor. ix. 26, 27.) Wherefore as he con- 
formed himself to Christ, and followed Him in all things, so 
he exhorted his disciples also to do, saying ; Be ye like unto 
me, as I also to Christ. (1 Cor. iv. 16.) Be ye followers of 
me, as I also am of Christ. And again : Brethren, be ye like 
unto me, and mark them that walk so, as ye have us for an 
ensample. Philipp. iii. 17. 

1 Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1. vi., says ; He is a true Priest of the 
Churchy and a true Minister of the will of God, who both does and teaches 
tvhat is of God. And St. John Damascene, in his Parallels, quotes the 
following words from Didymus of Alexandria : Then, at length, the teacher 
does his work, and his hearers believe him, when he teaches by his life and 
his deeds ; as it is written, ^ Jesus began to do and to teach.' 

V. 

Prom what has been said above any one may see that the 
Priest^s life should be to his doctrine even as one hand to its 
fellow, seconding and enforcing all he says to the edification 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



185 



of his people 1. Wherefore do thou, O Priest, whoever thou part 

II 

art, give heed to thyself, and strive to lead a life after Christ^s — 

pattern, that thou mayest be able to say with St. Paul, Be ye 
like unto me, as I also to Christ. But if thy life be not con- 
formable to the preaching of the Gospel, then thy instructions, 
even though they should profit the people, will be to thyself 
only for heavier condemnation^. In fact however, such teach- 
ing is for the most part as regards the people also not only cold 
and powerless, as has been said above, but, what is more, even 
positively corrupting^; for it breeds in many a suspicion that 
faith is no more than a fable, and virtue only a pretext for 
covetousness : and so instead of causing the name of God to 
be glorified, it brings dishonour upon it ; as it is written ; Thou 
therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? 
thou that ^readiest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 
thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou 
commit adultery? thou that makest thy boast of the law, 
through breaking the law dishonour est thou God? For the 
name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you. 
(Rom. ii. 21. 24.) Wherefore the Lord threatens such teachers, 
saying ; Why dost thou preach My laws, and takest My cove- 
nant in thy mouth? Psalm 1. 16. 

1 St. Chrysostom, on Acts, Horn, i., writes thus : See how Christ gave 
His words force hy His actions : so also He bade His disciples to do. For 
this cause Paul also said, ' as ye have us for an ensample.' (Philipp. iii. 17.) 
for nothing is more frigid than a teacher, %vho only philosophizes in ivords : 
for this shews not a teacher, hut a hypocrite. Therefore the Apostles also 
taught first hy life, and afteriuards hy word. 

Ag-ain, ou 1 Tim., Horn, v.. The teacher should first teach himself; lest 
while he teach others, he himself hecome a cast-aivay. But let him have 
faith and a good conscience, and so let him teach others. Again, Horn. x. 
The Master should shine brighter than every light, and have his life without 
spot ; that all may look on him, and conform their lives to his. Again, 
Horn. xiii. Be a pattern to believers, that is, to thy parishioners, in word, 
in life, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity ; shewing thyself to 
all an example of good works : that is, be thyself the pattern life : stand as 
a model, as a breathing law, as a rule and directory of good living. For 
this kind of teacher shoidd the Priest he. 

Chrysostom, on Mat., Serm. Ixxii., says; What can be more wretched 



186 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, than a teacher, who goes before his disciples, and leads them, with a life 
'- worthy of contempt, not of attention. For every one is worthy of condemna- 
tion, who transgresses the law ; but much more does he, who is honoured 
with the calling of teacher, subject himself most justly to double and treble 
condemnation : first, because he transgresses ; secondly, because, when he 
ought to amend others by his life, he corrupts them; and deserves so much 
the heavier punishment, in proportion as he has greater honour and more 
responsibility ; thirdly, because the teacher does the greater mischief, in that 
he sins not simply as others, but also against his own teaching. 

Again, on Rom., Serm. vi., The hearing of the laiv profits nothing, unless 
the doing of it follow : nor is this true of the hearing only, but of the 
teaching also, which is more than the hearing : nor will it be any excuse 
for the teacher, if he do not himself that which he teaches to others, but 
rather it will turn to his greater punishment. And further on, in the same 
sermon : What profit is there in teaching, if ye teach not yourselves, nor 
yourselves only, but others also, to do what is seemly or, what is far 
crueller, if ye not only neglect to teach the things of the Laiv, but even 
teach what is contrary!^ To the same purport is the whole sermon. 

Prosper, on Augustine, says ; To teach well, but live ill, is nothing else, 
than to condemn thyself out of thine oivn mouth. 

^ St. Chrysostom, on Acts, Mor. xxx., has the following : Why art thou 
proud, that thou teachest with ivordsP but this is easy, to philosophize in 
words : teach me by thy life : that is teaching indeed. Thou sayest that it 
is right to be humble, and drawest out a long discourse about this, and 
flourishest, without being ever at fault for words : but he is better than 
thee, who teaches me this by his actions. For teaching by tvords useth not 
to fall so deep into the soul as teaching by deeds : for ivithout deeds, not 
only do thy words not profit, but rather they do harm. It is better to be 
silent. Why so P Because thou commendest to me a thing impossible : for 
I think that if thou, who sayest all this, doest it not, much more am I 
to be excused, who say nothing of the kind. For this cause the Prophet 
saith : * But unto the ungodly said God, Why dost thou preach My laws?' 
for this is all the more harm, if any one teaching in ivords, overthrow his 
own doctrine by deeds: this it is that makes many evil livers in Churches, 

St. Jerome, Ep. ii. to Nepotianus, says; See that thy life hinder not 
thy ivords : that when thou teachest in the Church, no one may say to thee, 
though in secret, ' Why doest thou not thyself, what thou teachest P Thou 
art an admirable teacher, ivho, while thou eatest and drinkest, teachest 
temperance ! At this rate a robber may inveigh against stealitig .'' Christ's 
Priest should have his lips, his heart, and his deeds all agreeing together. 

St. John Damascene, in his sermon on Icons, has the following passage . 
Either teach not at all, or teach by thy life: lest, while thou invitest men 
by thy words, thou drive them away by thine actions. 



ON THE DUTY OF P.ARISH PRIESTS. 



187 



VI. 

"A Bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, 
vigilant, sober, devout, of good behaviour, given to hos- 
" pitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not a 
" brawler, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not en- 
" \ious, not a lover of money ; one that ruleth well his own 
" house, having his children in subjection, with all gravity : 
" for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how 
" shall he take care of the Church of God ? not a novice, lest 
" being lifted up wdth pride, he fall into condemnation and 
" into the net of the devil. Moreover he must have a good 
report of them which are without, lest he fall into re- 
" proach, and the snare of the enemy." On this subject 
ch. i. of the epistle to Titus treats at full. ver. 6, 7, 8, 9. 

YII. 

Blameless^ : The first thing which the Holy Ghost by the 
Apostle requires is, that the Bishop or Priest be blameless ; 
that is, as this word implies, free from all blame for any 
vice, or evil deed, of a disgraceful nature, of the fouler sort^ 
and beyond natural and venial infirmities, such as murder, 
adultery, robbery, and the like : also, that he be free from 
those other \dces which the Apostle enumerates: and not 
only so, but on the contrary, that he be adorned with every 
virtue. To this directly refers what the Apostle writes to 
Titus, (ch. i. 8.) A Bishop, that is a Priest, must be just, and 
holy. Both these words, like blameless, signify virtue in the 
general, including the whole band and choir of particular 
virtues, and especially all such as befit the teacher and 
pastor of the Chui'ch. 

1 To be blameless means, that a man be subject to no vice: so, to call a 
man just means, tbat lie is adorned with all virtue. Thus were called 
Zacharias and Elizabeth. Luke i. 6. Thus Job; of whom it is written 
that he was true, blameless, just, pious, eschewing every evil thiyiy. ch. i. 1. 
The same is also the sense of the word holy [like, in the SI.] ; since it 
represents a man, as being like unto God. What virtue then is not re- 
quired of him, who is to be like unto God P and not merely called Holy 
or Reverend of men ? 



188 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. 

n. VIII. 

The husband of one wife: The Priest should be the 
husband of one wife. The Apostle does not say this^ ac- 
cording to the interpretation of St. Chrysostom as laying 
down a law ; that is, as if there could be no priest un- 
married; but in this sense, that, if married, he ought not 
after the death of his wife to marry again. 

1 This way of understauding the Apostle's words is not only confirmed 
by the canons of the Councils, and the accordant interpretation of many 
of the Fathers, but is also sufficiently clear from the fifth chapter of the 
same Epistle: for the Apostle, requiring from her that is a widow indeed, 
that she be, in like manner, the u-ife of one husband, plainly distinguishes 
her from those widows, who, after the death of their husbands, ivill marry 
again, v. ii. 

This virtue is therefore prescribed to the Priest, that he shew not in 
himself the fault of incontinence or softness, and so bring at once reproach 
on his order, and on himself shame and contempt. Wherefore the first 
canon of the Council of Neocaesarea orders, that if a Priest from the weak- 
ness of incontinence marry, he must cease from his ministry; but if he 
commit fornication, he is to be altogether degraded. '-Let the Priest who 
marries cease from his ministry : hut if he commit fornication, or adultery, 
let him he degraded altogether, and placed among the penitents' 

IX. 

Vigilant, v7]cf>d\€ov, : St. Chrysostom understands here 
especially vigilance of soul ; that is, unceasing watchfulness 
over the flock entrusted to him. But neither ought we here 
to exclude bodily vigilance, or sobriety ; since this greatly 
assists the other ; and the spiritual cannot exist at all with- 
out the bodily^. 

i Our Saviour Himself, when He exhorts us to watch for His coming, 
joins together both kinds of vigilance, or sobriety : Let not your hearts be 
overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness : and afterwards : Watch 
therefore, and pray, always. Luke xxi. 34. 36. And the Apostle Peter, 
arming us against our adversary the devil, joins together sobriety and 
vigilance. 1 Pet. v. 8. 

X. 

Sober ^, aaxjipova,: This word denotes a man who has the 
knowledge and power to bridle all his affections, especially 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



189 



fleshly lusts. Wherefore by the word soberness is often 
meant purity ; and such purity, as stands not only in deeds - 
but also in thoughts, which proceed out of the heart : (for out 
of the heart proceed adulteries, ^c. Mat. xv. 19. Mark vii. 21, 
22, 23. these are the things which defile a man :) and further 
extends to the eyes, to the lips, and to all the senses and 
movements of the body^ Similar to this is the expression 
temperate: (Tit. i. 8.) for if a man be temperate in meat 
and drink, such temperance is a part of soberness : but if 
we take the word in a wider sense, it applies not only to 
meat and drink, but also to all appetites and affections of the 
flesh, as St. Chrysostom also expounds it' : wherefore tem- 
perate in this wider sense means the same thing with sober 
in the first sense given to it above. 

1 Sober, in Greek 'Zdxppoov, means, as St. Chrysostom explains it, on 
Rom., Horn, xx., a man who has a sound mind ; with which the word used 
in our Russo-Slavonic version agrees ; meaning a man of sound sense or 
reason, neither distorted, nor defective. 

2 Augustine says admirably; Say not that ye have pure hearts, if ye 
have not also pure eyes: for an impure eye is the herald of an impure 
heart. St. Chrysostom, on the Priesthood, B. iii. 3, has these words : The 
Priest ought to be as pure, as if he stood in the very heaven itself sur- 
rounded by the heavenly powers. 

3 The same Father, on Tit., Mor. ii., writes thus : It is not the man who 
fasts, that is here spoken of by the Apostle ; but one that subdues all his 
affections ; the tongue, the hands, the wanton eyes ; for this is temperance, 
to give in to no vice. 

XI. 

It is to be noted that the vices opposed to sobriety or 
temperance, as fornication, adultery, and the like, are so 
deadly and foul, that they are utterly incompatible with the 
Priesthood. Wherefore by the canons of the holy Fathers ^ 
not only is the man himself, who is so defiled, judged un- 
worthy of the Priesthood, but even a wife falling into such 
sin, though her husband be blameless, prevents him from 
being admitted to Orders, or from exercising his ministry, if 
already ordained ^ : and that there may not be so much as 
a suspicion of such evil, the canons of the Church forbid 



190 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. Priests and Deacons, who are widowers, to keep in their 
II. 

'- — houses any women except a mother, a sister, or aunt, &c.^ 

1 Canon Apost. xxv. Neocses. i. and ix. Can. of St. Basil iii. 

2 Canon Neocaes. viii. and of St. Basil the Great xxviii. 

3 Canon iii of i (Ecum. Counc. Canon v. of vi (Ec. Counc. Can. xviii. 
of VII CEc. Counc. and Decret. Justin, lxxi. 

XII. 

Devout: The Apostle joins together devotion and godly 
fear : Let us have, he says, grace, whereby we may serve God 
acceptably^ with reverence and godly fear. (Heb. xii. 28.) and 
in Acts X. 2. we read of Cornelius, that he was a devout man, 
and one that feared God, which gave much alms to the people, 
and prayed to God alway. Hence it clearly appears, that a 
devout man means one who fears God, and truly worships Him. 
This devotion is twofold: I. Inward and spiritual; when a man 
has devout faith, love, and fear to God, and worships Him 
in spirit and in truth: (John iv. 24.) II. Outward and bodily, 
which proceeds from the inward; when a man offers up 
prayers and thanksgivings to the Lord, and worships Him 
with his body ; when he hears or reads the word of God with 
pleasure ; and gives alms to the needy. This ^drtue, though 
requisite in every Christian, is for the Priest no less indis- 
pensable than the soul is for the body ; especially when he 
stands before God^s altar interceding for all, and calling 
down the Holy Ghost to consummate the awful Sacrifice. 

But on this subject see below, in ch. IV., where the Priest's duty of 
prayer is treated at length. 

XIII. 

Of good behaviour ; This expression, like the original 
Greek word used by the Apostle, denotes a man who ob- 
serves in all things that propriety which becomes his order ; 
that is, in his actions, his words, his gait, his dress, his 
housekeeping, and the like. On this head it is to be noted 
that the canons of the Church, and the precepts of the holy 
Fathers forbid Bishops and Priests to keep luxurious tables^, 
to give in their own houses entertainments, or go readily to 



ON THE DUTY OP PARISH PRIESTS. 



191 



those of others ; to play the buffoon, to play cards, dance, or part 

look on at dancing; to wear fine gowns, or go in dirt and ^ 

tatters^; for the first in a Priest shews softness or vanity, 
while the second is a mark of hypocrisy^. 

1 Canon xv. of the fourth Council of Carthage runs thus : Let a Bishop 
have a humble establishment and table, and strive to maintain the digniti/ 
of his order by faith and holy living. The heathen historian Ammianus 
Marcellinus has written of the primitive Christian Bishops in these words : 
Some Bishops by their simple diet, their great temperance in drink, and 
their plain clothing, present themselves pure and honourable in the eyes of 
the eternal God and His true worshippers. 

2 Buffoonery is forbidden under pain of deposition, by can. Apost. xlii. 
and can. li. of vi (Ecum. They are to leave companies, where there is 
dancing or playing, by canon xxiv. of vi (Ecum. and by can. liii. Laodic. 
They are forbidden fine gowns, by can. xvi. of vii (Ecum. 

Here may be mentioned, that Priests, who are present at Commemo- 
rations, are forbidden to take eatables home with them from the table, 
and thus disgrace their order. Can. xxvi. of Laodic. 

XIV. 

Given to hospitality' : If any house, then certainly that 
of the Bishop and the Priest more especially should be open 
to strangers, even as a general inn. For how shall the Priest 
exhort others to hospitality, if he shut his own door against 
strangers? Nor should he be kind to strangers only, but 
also to all those, who need his help. Especially should he 
succour the poor, and the sick, take, care of the orphan, de- 
fend the widow, and the oppressed, and take the part of the 
innocent. But if poor Priests should deem this virtue im- 
possible for them, as needing assistance themselves, let them, 
when so circumstanced, look to the Apostles, who worked 
with their own hands, and yet remembered the poor 2, (Gal. 
ii. 10.) and supported the weak. (Acts xx. 35.) Besides this, 
they both may and should, after the example of the Apostles, 
move such of their Parishioners, as have ability, to practise 
this virtue. 1 Cor. xvi. 1. 2 Cor. viii. 19. 

I St. Chrysostom, explaining the expression, given to hospitality, 
Serm. ii. on Tit. says; He is given to hospitality, who makes himself a 
sharer in all that he has with the poor. 



192 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. 2 See Can. Apost. lix. and Laodie. viii. Jerome, Ep. ii. to Nepotian, says ; 

'- — It is the glory of Bishops to minister to the wants of the poor, but a dis- 
grace for any Priest to seek to enrich himself. And in another place: 
If thou hast more than thou needest for thine own food and raiment, 
give it aivay ; knowing that thou art hound to this. And again: He tvho 
leaves himself more than he needs, is as though he robbed others. 

XV. 

Apt to teach : holding fast the faithful ivord as he has 
been taught: (Tit. i. 9.) This quality, or excellence, of being 
apt to teach, is required of the Priest before all others; as 
St. Chrysostom also in commenting on this passage testi- 
fies : wherefore this has been treated of at length in our first 
Part. Here it needs only to mention, what those Priests 
should do, who contrary to the Apostolic command have 
been ordained without sufficient learning. There are two 
necessary resources to which such Priests must by all means 
betake themselves, that they be not altogether dumb: I. They 
must apply themselves with all dihgence to the reading of the 
divine Scriptures, more especially of the New Testament : and 
also they must learn perfectly the Church Catechisms, and 
read them often through with attention ; that they may be 
able to teach orally the doctrines of the faith, and rules of 
holy living. To this end the books of the holy Fathers 
also, especially of St. Chrysostom, are very necessary' : and 
the Priest should sometimes, at fitting seasons, read to the 
people a homily from St. Chrysostom, as well as expositions 
of the doctrines of the faith, and of the Lord^s command- 
ments, from the Catechetical books; or, if he be not able 
himself to do it, then he should employ his Deacon, or any 
good Clerk to do it in his stead. II. He ought to have his 
life so clearly marked by true holiness, that it may be as a 
loud trumpet, to awaken and incite all men to the fear of 
God, to devotion, and to imitation of his blameless and 
Christian conversation ^ Great assistance towards furnish- 
ing Priests may also be derived from sacred and ecclesiastical 
history ; and from sermons of modern preachers, as well as 
from the lives of the holy Fathers : and other narratives 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



193 



which may suggest to the reader meditations on the working 
of God^s Pro\ddence, will afford rich sources of instruction. 

■2 Augustine, lib. iv. De Doct. Christ., sajs ; If any one he incapable of 
speaking either icisely, or eloquently, still he may live so, as not only to gain 
a reivard to himself, but also afford a pattern to others ; and thus his life 
u'ill stand him in stead of abundance of words. 

XVI. 

Not given to wine : Amongst other vices, which the 
Apostle endures not in a Priest of the Chui'ch, he reckons 
drunkenness. Of what innumerable other evils this one evil 
is the cause, both daily experience in the case of such as 
are given to it, and indeed one's own conscience, sufficiently 
shews ; while how foul it is in God's sight, and how offensive 
to His Majesty, ail may clearly see from His word. In the 
Old Testament drunkenness was forbidden to Priests under 
pain of death : Ye shall drink no wine, nor strong drink, 
thou J nor thy sons vAth thee, when ye go into the Tabernacle 
of the testimony, nor when ye approach the Altar, lest ye die: 
and tlm shall be unto you a statute for ever throughout your 
generations. (Levit. x. 9.) And again : No Priest shall drink 
ivine, ivhen he entereth into the inner Court. (Ezek. xliv. 21.) 
And in the New Testament the Holy Ghost by the Apostle 
(1 Cor. vi. 10. and Gal. v. 21.) saith expressly that, drunkards 
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Yet, though drunken- 
ness is a sin so grievous and deadly, there are very many in 
our time, who scarcely pass a day without indulging their 
sottish passion for drink \ Wherefore Christ's Church, fol- 
lowing the will of God, by the canons both of the Apostles 
and of the Councils forbids not Priests only, but all clerks, 
not merely to be drunken, but even so much as to enter a 
tavern, under pain of deprivation and excommunication^. 

1 GregoiT the Divine says ; Drunkenness in a layman is a grievous sin, 
in a clerk it is sacrilege. 

"2 Canon xlii Apost. rnns thus : Let any Bishop, Priest, or Deacon, who 
plays, or drinks, nnless he leave it off, be deprived. And Canon liv. Let 
the Clerk, who without any necessity frequents taverns, be excommunicated. 
Canon Laodic. xxiv. 

o 



194 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. 

XVII. 

No STRIKER, NOT A BRAWLER : To the Same eflPect is tliat 
which is written to Titus, not self-willed, not soon angry. The 
minister of Christ must not onty be no striker, but neither 
must he be a brawler, rash, or self-wiUed : and since such 
things come of anger, so neither must he be soon angry. 
It is not fit, that is, that he be moved to anger lightly, or 
without just reason, or in any common and trivial matter : 
much more surely must it be monstrous in him to enter into 
disputes or quarrels^, whether about domestic and private 
matters, or any other : for not such as these only, but also 
all vain disputes and controversies about doctrine, tending 
to the display of self, not of truth, to one^s own glory rather 
than God^s, are forbidden to the clergy. (1 Tim. xi. 4, 5. And 
2 Tim. ii. 14.) Put them in remembrance, that they strive not 
about words, to no profit, hut to the subverting of the hearers. 
And (ver. 23, 24.) Foolish and unlearned questions avoid, know- 
ing that they do gender strifes : but the servant of the Lord 
must not strive, but be gentle unto all men. Now a striker is 
not only he, who goes at his neighbour to fight with his fist 
or staff, but he also, who provokes with words, or gives offence 
to him that is weak ; as it is written ; so sinning against the 
brethren, and striking their conscience, which is weak. (1 Cor. 
viii. 12.) To the same purpose also is that word of Christ, 
which He spake of the careless and e\dl pastor; and shall 
begin to strike his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with 
the drunken. Mat. xxiv. 49. 

1 Chrysostom, commenting on tlie word striker, on Tit. Mor. ii., has these 
words : The teacher is the 'physician of souls ; hut the physician, stnkes 
not, but tends and heals what is sick and wounded. Canons xxvi Apost. 
and Iv of St. Basil the Great order, that the Priest who strikes any man, 
whether believer or unbeliever, be deprived. 

XVIII. 

But patient : Against the above-mentioned faults of 
anger, strife, and quarrelling, the best and most effective 
remedy will be patience ; if only it be true patience, spring- 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



195 



ing from godly poverty of spirit, and from the fear of the part 

Lord^ and perfected not by extraordinary outward or bodily 

abasement, but by thoughts of inward humility. Another 
sort of patience there is, which is feigned and hypocritical, 
put on for a time to gain praise from men : but this is un- 
pleasing to God, and hurtful to a man's own soul : whereof 
see in the Catechism, on the Beatitudes. But the Apostle 
here requires in the Priest true evangelical patience, whose 
fruits are; not to be soon angry, even though there be ground 
for anger ; not to contend, still less to fight, but to give way; 
not to return provocation for provocation, but to walk as St. 
Peter saith of Christ ; When He loas reviled^ He reviled not 
againy (lPet.ii.23.) and as Paul writes; (1 Cor. iv. 12, 13.) Being 
reviled toe bless, being i^ersecuted ive are imtient, being defamed 
we entreat. But if any ill report or slanderous accusation be 
brought against the Priest, whether by any of his own parish- 
ioners, or his brethren of the clergy, in such case he should not 
keep silence, lest he strengthen the slander, and so give cause 
for suspicion : but he should without anger or contention evince 
his own innocence, and then forgive his traducers. Or should 
he go into court, he may there also lawfully and with clear 
conscience, without artifice or unfairness, seek his own, or 
strive to clear his own innocence, without any breach of the 
duty of patience : an example for which is set in the answer 
of the Apostle; Acts xxiv. 10, &c. to 21. xxv. 8. 10, 11. and 
xxvi. 2, &c. . 30. 

XIX. 

Not greedy^, not given to filthy lucre, not envious, 
NOT A LOVER OF MONEY : Thcsc viccs are akin one to another: 
for as the love of money according to the Apostle is the root 
of all evil; so greediness, or the pursuit of filthy lucre, and 
envy, are as it were shoots springing from this root : and it is 
through these shoots alone, that the covetous spirit can be 
discerned. How grievous is the sin of covetousness, how 
terrible a passion in itself, and how destructive to the soul in 
its results, we may learn from hence, that the Apostle, besides 

o 2 



196 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, calling it the root of all evils, says in another place, that it is 

idolatry. (Colos. iii. 5.) And if the ministers of Christ are to be 

pure from such dreadful vices, they must have the single eye, 
free from evil, and the apostolical heart of Paul, (Acts xx. 33.) 
not the eye or heart of Judas ; (John xii. 6. and xiii. 2. 27.) 
and besides must bear in mind that exhortation of the Apostle ; 
Do thou, man of God, flee these things ; (the love of money, 
and of filthy lucre, and envy;) and follow after (here pointing 
to the remedy, and means of fleeing them) righteousness, god- 
liness, faith, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith ^ 
lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called. 1 Tim. 
vi. 1 1, 12. To the same purpose are 1 Pet. v. 2. and 1 Thess. 
ii. 5. In accordance with which injunctions Christ^s Church, 
to turn away her ministers from improper gains ^, sets before 
them the Canons of the Apostles, and of the Councils, de- 
nouncing not only deprivation but excommunication and 
anathema against such as offend. 

1 In the Russian version at 1 Tim. iii. 3. there is a word, which we 
have rendered greedy, while in the Epistle to Titus (i. 7.) there is another, 
which we have rendered a lover of filthy lucre : but in the original Greek 
there is only one and the same word, aicrxpoKepd^s, which in both places 
designates a man who makes sordid gains : and so greediness and the love 
of filthy lucre are but two names for one thing, the seeking of improper 
gain ; which may be done in various ways unbecoming the Priesthood. 

2 There are many ways of making sordid gain, which are unbecoming 
the spiritual order ; but here we will mention only some : I. Usury, when 
a minister of the Church takes usury, or increase : this is forbidden by the 
canons under pain of deprivation : Can. Apost. xliv. i (Ec. Counc. xvi. 
VI (Ec. Counc. X. II. Illicit buying and selling : this offence is for- 
bidden by canon ix of the sixth Council. III. Worldly traffick : to 
trade, or traffick, and follow other pursuits for gain is forbidden to the 
Stewards of the divine Mysteries both by the word of God, (2 Tim. ii. 4.) 
and by the canons of the holy Fathers. Can. Apost. vi. xx. Ixxxi. IV. The 
exaction of money for spiritual ministrations : this the Lord Himself for- 
bids, saying. Freely ye have received, freely give. And canon xxiii of 
the Sixth Council subjects a Priest to degradation for taking any pay 
whatever. 

J erome, in his epistle to Nepotianus, says ; If any clerk by worldly busi- 
ness, from being poor has become rich, from being mean has become re- 
spectable, do thou fiee him as the plague. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 197 



XX. 

One THAT RULETH WELL HIS OWN HOUSE, HAVING HIS 

CHILDREN IN SUBJECTION WITH ALL GRAVITY : Remember, 

Priest, Eli, that High-Priest in the Old Testament, whom 
God spared not, but punished for the disorders of his profli- 
gate sons ; (1 Kings iv. 18.) and take thought for thyself, 
that thou too fall not under a similar, and still more severe 
punishment, both for thine own house, and for God^s, that 
is, for the flock entrusted to thee, which thou art bound to 
guide into the way of salvation. But what earnest of 
ruling well God^s household should he give, who seeks to be 
raised to the Order of Priesthood, or has been raised to it 
already ? The Apostle Paul prescribes for such a one, that 
he shall first have made trial, and approved himself, by ruling 
well his own house^. For if a man, he says, Jcnow not how to 
rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of 
God? (1 Tim. iii. 5,^) Hence it is plain that it is the Priest^s 
duty to give diligent heed both to his own house, and still 
more to the salvation of his flock ; as it is written. Be thou 
diligent to know the souls of thy flocks, and give thy heart to 
thy herds, Prov. xxvii. 23. 

1 To the ruling of tlie house it belongs, that the Priest instruct all his 
household in sound faith and holy living : that his wife, according to the 
apostolic precept, be grave, not a slanderer, sober, faithful in all things : 

1 Tim. iii. 11. that his children should in like manner be faithful, not 
accused of riot, or unruly. Tit. i. 6. The same is insisted on by the 
canons: No one is to be ordained Priest, who has not first brought all in 
his house to believe the faith, iv Counc. (Ecum. canon xiv. and canon 
xxxvi Carth. The Priests' wives must not dance, nor indulge in foolish 
jesting, nor commit adultery. Can. Apost. xviii. Of the religious bringing 
up of children, see canon xxxv of the Council of Carthage. 

2 Chrysostom, on Tit., Mor. ii., writes thus : If any one cannot he a 
teacher even for his own children, how shall he teach others ? If he cannot 
rule those, whom he has had with him, and bred up from infancy, and 
over whom he has authority both by law and by nature, how can he profit 
others ? Certainly, unless there had been in the Father the greatest soft- 
ness or carelessness, he would not have suffered those under him to grow 
up evil. 



198 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP.' 

n. XXI. 

Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride ^, he 

FALL INTO condemnation, AND INTO THE SNARE OF THE 

DEVIL. To secure that the Priest be neither a novice, nor 
imperfectly instructed in the doctrines of our holy faith, 
belongs solely to the care and attention of the Bishop : 
wherefore nothing shall be here said of this, except what 
the Apostle has admonished us concerning pride. For this 
also is one of the virtues required in the Priest, that he be 
not proud, but humble-minded. The Apostle requires this 
of the pastor of the Church, when he writes in his epistle to 
Titus; not self-willed: (ch. i. 7.) for self-will, or undue 
self-love, is precisely the source of pride and arrogance. 

1 That the Priest may not be subject to this passion, let him ever re- 
member that he is indeed a minister of Christ, but of that Christ, Who was 
humble, and meek: Mat. xii. 19. that he is a successor of the Apostles, 
but of those Apostles, who being reviled, blessed. And to this end it is 
further necessary, that the Priest deal not with his parishioners in a lordly 
manner: for this was forbidden to His Apostles even by our High- Priest 
Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke xxii. 24, &c. 1 Pet. v. 2. and 
2 Corinth, i. 24. 

XXII. 

Moreover he, the Priest, must have a good report of 

THEM, which are WITHOUT, LEST HE FALL INTO REPROACH, 

AND THE SNARE OF THE ENEMY : By them, wMch are without J 
are to be understood aUens in faith, especially idolaters, and 
others, who believe not in Christ ; amongst whom the primi- 
tive Church of the Apostles grew up as a lily among thorns. 
Who is there, that sees not from hence, that the Priest 
should be indeed blameless, and, as St. Chrysostom teaches, 
brighter than even the sun's rays? For if reproach even 
from aliens in faith, reproach oftener without than with 
reason, be amiss for him, then how much more must any 
reproach from his own orthodox Christian brethren, espe- 
cially from his own flock, or from any such as are cognizant 
of his life, as being more worthy of credit, be a still greater 
snare and hindrance to him in the work of his ministry ^ ? 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



199 



1 Chrysostom, on Acts xx., Mor. xliv., has these words ; This is the virtue PART 
of the teacher, to have his disciples witnesses of his good works. ^ 

XXIII. 

Here it will be not improper to notice, that the Priest 
must not be double-tongued^ ; in like manner as the Apostle 
requires of Deacons in the same chapter, (1 Tim. iii. 8.) and 
thereby plainly implies the same of Priests. 

1 By this word, double-tongued, is to be understood not only a cheat or 
a liar, but also a slanderer, and tattler, and that, too, even though there be 
gronnd for his tales. And here we must mention that dreadful kind of 
lying, joined with greediness of filthy lucre, which invents miracles ; and 
relates in God's name visions and apparitions, which have never occurred ; 
and makes superstitious observations, which are all one with sorcery. Let 
all such wicked impostors listen to this word of God : Woe unto them that 
prophesy out of their oivn heart ; who walk after their own spirit ; hut 
have seen nothing at all. Have ye not seen a lying vision, and have ye not 
spoken vain sorceries!^ And ye say, The Lord saith : albeit I have not 
spoken. Wherefore, say unto them ; Thus saith the Lord God : Because 
ye have spoken lying words, and divined vanities, therefore, behold, I am 
against you, saith the Lord Ood. And I iviU stretch out My hand upon 
the Prophets that see lies, and that prophesy vanity. Ezek. xiii. 3, 7, 8, 9. 

XXIV. 

Besides the above-mentioned virtues, some others are by 
the Lord^s commandment required of Priests, as proper for 
their life and calling : Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as 
doves. (Mat. X. 16.) Traffick till I come. (Luke xix. 13.) In 
your patience possess ye your souls. (lb. xxi.l9.) Abide in Me, 
and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except 
it abide in the vine ; no more can you, except ye abide in Me. 
(John XV. 4.) / have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye 
should go, and bring forth fruit. (lb. ver. 16.) All these in- 
junctions require of Priests, that they, following their Lord 
Christ, and making themselves one with Him, both be pru- 
dent, modest, and discreet in their daily conversation with 
all men, and also in the duties of their calling attentive, 
correct, and indefatigable, and in afflictions patient, strong- 
hearted, and invincible. 



200 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



XXV. 

The Apostle says ; Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that 
I might gain the Jews : to the iveak became I as weak, that I 
might gain the iveak : I am made all things to all men, that 
I may by all means save some : And again ; / therefore so run, 
not as uncertainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air ; 
but I mortify my body, ^c. By this description of himself he 
sets himself before all Priests as a pattern no less of that 
wise and blameless conversation with all men^ which becomes 
a pastor, than of the special labours and exercises of an Apo- 
stle. And yet, while he was engaged in such vast labours, and 
in such arduous exercises, he was deeply humble-minded : 
Brethren, he says, I count not myself to have apprehended : 
but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are be- 
hind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before^, 
I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of 
God in Christ Jems. In the same way it is the duty of 
every Pastor who exercises himself in all the virtues above- 
mentioned, not to think highly of himself, but, forgetting all^ 
his own attainments, to reach forth, like a good soldier of 
Jesus Christ, to those still greater labours, and still more 
arduous exercises, which are before him. To this the same 
Apostle m^ges us, when he says ; So run, that ye may obtain : 
. . and, mark them which walk so as ye have us for an en- 
sample. 1 Cor. ix. 20 . . 27. Philipp. iii. 13 . . 17. 

1 Chrysostom, Horn. xii. on Philipp., writes thus : Nothing so spoils and 
ruins our success, as the thought of the good that %ve have done : for this 
begets in us a double evil ; both making us more remiss, and tempting us 
to pride. For this cause Paul, seeing hoiu very prone our nature is to 
sloth, teaches us humility by those words of his, '■Brethren, I count not 
myself, ^c' 

XXVI. 

That the Priest, according to the instructions given above, 
be free from vices, and adorned pre-eminently not only with 
those virtues mentioned above, but also with all others needful 
for the Priesthood, the Apostle most powerfully exhorts, and 
almost adjures him, when he says in the same chapter; 



ON THE DUTY OF PAKISH PRIESTS. 



201 



(1 Tim, iii. 14^ 15.) These things write I unto thee, that thou part 
mightest know how to behave thyself in the house of God, — ' 
which is the Church of the living God : as if lie had said : 
O Timothy, know both thou, and whosoever is to come after 
thee, that to be a Priest in the house of the lining God, to 
teach God^s people, to offer, and minister Sacraments, and to 
intercede for the whole world, is such a work as none other 
man is fit for, than he whom I have now described. And for 
this he gives, in ver. 16 of the same chapter, the following 
deep reason : God ivas manifested in the flesh. This is the 
great mystery of godliness : This it is that teacheth us all, and 
requires of us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we 
should live soberly, righteously, and godly ^ in this present world. 
Tit. ii. 12. 

Under these words soberly, righteously, and godly, tlie Apustie in- 
cludes generally all Christian duties, whether to God, to our neighbour, 
or to ourselves. 

XXYII. 

We will conclude this Part with two general vii'tues, those of 
fidelity and ivisdom, by which Christ Himself describes such 
of His stewards, as shall be perfect, and by so doing plainly re- 
quu'es of them these same Wrtues in a more especial manner. 
Who is, saith He, that faithful and ivise steward, whom the 
Lord shall make ruler over His household, to give them their 
portion of meat in due season? (Luke xii. 42. Mat. xxiv. 45.) 
Such fidelity and wisdom consists, as is represented to us by 
the Gospel, in nothing else than this ; that the steward of 
God's house pass not the time of his occupancy in eating 
and drinking himself, and in getting drunk, from his steward- 
ship, but in diligently distributing food to others in due season, 
both by doctrine, and by Sacraments, and by prayer to God ; 
and in all this seek not his oivn things, but the things that be 
Jesus Christ's. (Philipp. ii. 21.) Such wisdom and fidelity are 
so great a pait of the Piiest^s duty, that they will secure the 
presence of all other virtues, and so render the Priest him- 
self in the work of his ministr}' a workman needing not to be 
ashamed. Wherefore al:so Paul, when he describes an Apostle 



202 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, and the successor of an Apostle^ a Bishop or Priest, requires 

of him wisdom with faithfulness, as the soul by which he is to 

be animated; writing thus; Moreover, it is required in stewards, 
that a man be found faithful. (1 Cor. iv. 2.) On the other hand, 
if this fidelity and wisdom be wanting, what are virtues but 
a mere semblance and mask? or what is a steward but a 
whited sepulchre, shewing itself outwardly with a fair in- 
scription, but within full of hypocrisy and lies ? And what 
are such stewards to expect ? Christ Himself answers : The 
Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not 
for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut 
him asunder : O how fearful a punishment ! and shall appoint 
him his portion with the unbelievers. This shall be the lot of 
the careless and unfaithful Pastor. There shall be weeping 
and gnashing of teeth. Mat. xxiv. 50, 51. 



CHAPTER III. 

or THE 

THIRD PART OF THE PRIEST'S DUTY, 

THAT IS, OF 

MINISTERING ABOUT SACRAMENTS. 

THAT TO MINISTER IN SACRAMENTS [MYSTERIES SL.] IS THE PECULIAR 
WORK OF THE PRIESTHOOD IS SUFFICIENTLY SHEWN BY ST. PAUL IN 
THAT PLACE, WHERE HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF AND ALL HIS SUCCESSORS 
IN THESE WORDS; «< LET A MAN SO ACCOUNT OF US AS OF THE 
MINISTERS OF CHRIST, AND STEWARDS OF THE SACRAMENTS OF GOD." 
1 COR. IV. 1. 



I. 

What a Mystery^ or mysterious Rite Divinely-ordained is, chap. 

and how many Holy Mysteries [or Sacraments] the Apostolic '— 

Eastern Church reckons, and whether all Sacraments are of 
equal virtue or necessity, may be found set forth at length 
in the Catechetical books : while in what order and manner 
the same Sacraments are to be ministered, the Office-books 
of the Church, and for the holy Eucharist, more particularly, 
the Priest^s Service-books, sufficiently explain. Wherefore 
no more is left for us to do here, than to set down some 
propositions concerning those pre-requisites or conjoint con- 
ditions, without which Sacraments profit nothing the re- 
ceiver, nay rather often become sin, either to the receiver, 
or to the giver, or to both. Such conditions are partly 
general, and refer equally to all Sacraments, partly special. 



204 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, and belong to each one of them, according to its particular 
^ — character. 

PROPOSITIONS RELATING TO ALL THE 
SACRAMENTS GENERALLY. 

II. 

It is the Priest^ s duty before he administers any Sacra- 
ment to teach him who desires to receive it_, if he be igno- 
rantj what is the virtue of the same Sacrament ; to what end 
it was instituted ; and what is signified by its outward form 
or matter : for instance, in Baptism, what is signified by the 
water, which has of its own nature virtue only to wash away 
bodily defilement ; in Unction with Chrism, what is signified 
by the Ointment of sweet odours ; and so forth. For if he, 
to whom the Sacrament is administered, be left uninstructed 
of this, he will not know himself what he receives : conse- 
quently, neither can he have faith*, which naturally follows 
only upon the knowledge of what is to be believed ; and so 
he will not receive that grace of God, which is given in the 
Sacrament^ : for our faith alone is the hand by which we re- 
ceive all those gifts of God, which have been obtained for us 
by our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts x. 43. xv. 9. Rom. iii. 22. 25. 

1 That it is impossible to have faith without having been taught what 
to believe, the Apostle signifies, saying ; Hoiv shall they believe on Him, 
of Whom they have not heard P Rom. x. 14. Faith cometh hy hearing, 
and hearing hy the word of God; that is, faith springeth in man not 
from any human discourse, but from the preaching of the word of God. 
Proof enough of this is given in the x\cts of the Apostles, which describe 
the conversion of the Jews and Gentiles to the faith of Christ, and this 
faith springing up and established by nothing else, than the hearing and 
reception of the preaching of the Gospel. 

2 Preach the Gospel to every creature. He that helieveth and is baptized, 
shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned. Mark xvi. 16. 
He that believeth on Him shall not be condemned : but he that believeth 
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the 
only-begotten Son of God. John iii. 18. 

III. 

Since faith in the holy Sacraments is but one part or article 
dependent upon others, the Priest in explaining any Sacra- 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



205 



ment, should question him who desires to receive it, whether chap. 

Ill 

he knows those prior articles of the faith, which are necessary 

to salvation; as, of the Holy Trinity; of our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; and so on through the Creed ? and if not, then he 
must teach him those first; that so he may be the better able 
to understand the grace of that Sacrament, which he is to 
receive, and savingly to believe in it^ 

^ For tlie better understanding of the propositions here above written, 
it will not be improper in this place to say somewhat briefly of saving- 
faith ; what, and of what nature it is. Saving faith is the undoubting 
reception of the Gospel of Christ in the heart of a man brought to peni- 
tence : and such faith is called unfeigned^ hearty^ and lively. There are 
two other kinds of faith opposed to this : one, a hypocritical faith, which is 
not hearty ; as when any one believes not really that the Gospel of Christ 
is true, but still shews himself outwardly believing, as if he were a Chris- 
tian : and this faith is very offensive to God, and may rightly be called an 
111 faith, or infidelity. Of such men the Apostle says ; They profess that 
they knoiv God, hut in ivorks they deny Him ; that is by not believing 
Christ's Gospel, and by not owning Christ to be the Son of God ; being 
abominable, and disobedient. Tit. i. 16. Another kind of faith, no less 
unprofitable, is when a man believes that the Gospel of Christ is true, but 
repents not of his sins, nor seeks pardon of tliem from God through Christ 
Jesus, but is careless about holy living, and without fear. This faith is 
dead, unlively, and unfruitful, and therefore insufficient for salvation. Of 
such faith it is that the Apostle James writes in ch. ii. of his Epistle. 
Hence we may learn that to believe savingly is nothing else than, with 
knowledge of those articles of faith which are most necessary to salvation, 
to believe undoubtingly in Jesus Christ, and live according to His holy 
commandment orderly, in good works ; repenting at the same time heartily 
of all past sins, and asking with the whole heart forgiveness of them of 
God, trusting for this in the blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

IV. 

From the above propositions it is plain that there neither 
can be faith without knowledge, nor knowledge without 
preaching and instruction; and that in such as have not 
faith Sacraments do not exhibit the divine virtue and grace. 
Consequently, until the ignorant shall have been taught the 
most necessary articles of faith, the Priest cannot savingly 
administer to them the Sacraments : since such persons, even 



206 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, though they be not reckoned among unbelievers, are clearly 
' — " not far removed from them. 

V. 

In like manner is it unlawful to administer to heretics, 
who receive not the doctrine of the Gospel, any Sacrament, 
in any way whatever, until they become converts to ortho- 
doxy ; according to that which is written ; Give not holy 
things to dogs. Cast not your pearls before swine. Mat. vii. 6. 

VI. 

If at all times Priests are bound at their peril to take care 
that they be not in any grievous or deadly sin uncleansed by 
penitence, much more are they so bound at the time of minis- 
tering any Sacrament : for otherwise the Priest^s sin, though 
it prevent not the grace of God from flowing on him who 
worthily receives the Sacrament, yet is doubled upon the 
Priest himself, who in his impurity touches the Holy Thing 
and the Arks of the Holy Ghost, Who dwelleth in the Sacra- 
ments. Even the priests of the Old Testament, who had to 
enter into the tabernacle of witness, were commanded by 
God oft-times to wash their hands and their feet, lest they 
should die: (Exod. xxx. 19. 21. and xl. 31.) that so they 
might be led by the ablution of bodily impurity to the 
washing away of the spiritual filthiness of sin. Wherefore 
the Priests of the New Testament should ever bear in mind 
this command of the Apostle ; Let us cleanse ourselves from 
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the 
fear of God, 2 Cor. vii. 1. 

VII. 

Much more still are Priests bound when ministering about 
Sacraments not to be in liquor. For if they have their 
mind darkened, and so perchance omit or change any thing 
in the outward form pertaining to the essence of the Sacra- 
ment, as for instance, in Baptism, if they should forget to 
pronounce the words necessary for the completion of this 
Sacrament, they would bring themselves under the severest 
condemnation both of God and of His Church. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



207 



VIII. 

Let the Priest for the above reasons be exceedingly careful 
in no way to omit or change those things, which pertain to 
the essence of any Sacrament, and which are caUed its matter 
and form : let him also take care to go through all the ritual 
accompaniments of the holy Sacraments, and all the other 
orders and forms of the Chui'ch, with faith : /or without 
faith it is impossible to please God. (Heb. xi. 5.) and again: 
Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin: (Rom. xiv. 23.) and with 
all attention to the instruction and edification of him, who 
is to receive the Sacrament ; not hurriedly, nor drowsily, but 
remembering that awful denunciation; Cursed be every one 
that doeth the work of the Lord negligently. Jer. xlviii. 10. 

IX. 

Lastly, in the actual administration of the Sacraments, 
the Priest should remember this also, that if the selling of 
holy things is so utterly forbidden, that he, who on gi^dng the 
Communion asks even a single farthing from the communi- 
cant, incurs degradation ^, it necessarily follows that he ought 
to be rigidly careful to seek nothing in return for the minis- 
tration of Sacraments, according to that word of the Lord ; 
Freely ye have received, freely give : (Mat. x. 8.) but content 
himself with voluntary offerings^; w^hich should certainly be 
made ; according to the word of the Lord in the same chapter; 
(ver. 10,) The ivorhaan is ivorthy of his hire. And the Apostle 
says; The Lord hath ordained, that they which preach the 
Gospel, should live of the Gospel. 1 Cor. ix. 14. 

1 Canon xxiii. of vi Counc. (Eciim. has these words ; If the Priest, who 
communicates the people in the all-pure Mysteries, that is, the all-pure Body 
and all-pure Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, asks so much as a farthing, 
or any thing else ivhatever from the communicant, let him be degraded. 

2 If any Priest with his clerks be so poor as to want what is necessary 
for their maintenance, he may at some other time than when he is minis- 
tering Sacraments, (of which there is mention in the Spiritual Eegulation 
also, in the appendix On the Clergy, Can. xxii.) ask his parishioners for 
assistance, in the spirit of the Apostle's teaching ; Who goeth a warfare at 
any time at his 07vn charges P Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of 



208 



ON THE DIJTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, the fruit thereof; or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the 
— IH: — flock P etc. in the chapter quoted above, 1 Cor. ix. 7. 11, 12. The same is 
likewise ordered by an Imperial Edict of the year mdccxxiii. 

PROPOSITIONS RELATING TO EACH SACRAMENT IN 
PARTICULAR, AND FIRST TO THE SACRAMENT 
OF HOLY BAPTISM. 

X. 

In baptizing children^ it is the Priest's duty to see that the 
godfather or godmother be an orthodox believer, and know 
those articles of the faith which are necessary to salvation : 
inasmuch as the sponsor here stands in place of the infant 
baptized, and makes answers for him to God; (1 Pet. iii. 21.) 
repeating the Creed; and so is bound, when his spiritual son, 
whom he receives fi'om the font, begins to grow up, and has 
no other instructors, to teach him the faith and God's law, 
and do his best to put him in mind of his vows made at 
Baptism, and of the virtue of that Sacrament; so that the 
child himself may solidly learn and understand the same^ : 
all which cannot be done by anj^, who are either ignorant 
themselves, or aliens from the faith ^ 

1 Augustine, Serm. ccxxii. writes thus : Above all, I would have you, 
whether men or women, ivho have stood godfathers or godmothers to children, 
to knoiv this ; that ye are sureties for them, whom ye have taken up from 
the holy laver : and therefore ye ought continually to exhort them to keep 
purity, to love right, to hold to love: hut above all, he sure both to know 
yourselves, and to teach your god-children the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. 

2 Young children, by reason that they are as yet uuinstructed in the 
faith, are unfit for the office of sponsor ; while aliens in faith are unfit, 
because the Creed with them is corrupted or mutilated, as with the 
Romans, the Protestants, and the Eefonned : and if they should instruct 
the child, they would naturally pervert it to their own belief. If, how- 
ever, for political reasons it be ever tolerated, that an alien in faith stand 
sponsor, he should be made to read the Creed of our Church ; and one 
orthodox sponsor is all that is required. 

XI. 

As for persons of riper years, who from Judaism, Mahom- 
medanism, or Idolatry, come to Baptism, the Priest must 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



209 



first teach such the articles of the Christian faith ^ refutiner chap. 
at the same time thoroughly the soul-destroying error, in 
which they have formerly been held : after which he should 
explain to them the grace and power of Baptism ; and so, 
with permission of his Bishop, baptize them according to the 
Order set forth in the Office-book. Notwithstanding, if any 
such person, so turning from false religion to the service of 
Christ, chance to be in sickness, in such case it will be right 
for the Priest, even after a very slight instruction concern- 
ing the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ, to baptize him; 
leaving to a future time, in case of recovery, the duty of 
instructing him more thoroughly^. 

1 Canon Ixxviii. of the Council in Tmllo has these words : Let Mm who 
seeks to be .illuminated by Holy Baptism, be made to confess the faith. And 
the Gloss : It is requisite that he who comes to Diirine Baptism should learn 
the faith ; that is, to repeat, ' / believe in one God, 8fC. and recite this 
Creed before the Bishop, or before the Priests. On the same subject is 
canon xlv. Laodic. 

2 See canon xlvi. of the same Council ; and canon xlv. Garth. 

XII. 

There are some ignorant men among the clergy who would 
rebaptize Romans, as well as Lutherans and Calvinists, when 
they come over to the Eastern Church ; while the schis- 
matics among ourselves are not ashamed even to rebaptize 
those of their people who fall away from the Church, in order 
to go over to their errors. But the seventh canon of the 
second (Ecumenical Council sufficiently refutes both the 
ignorance of the first, and the blindness of the last : for that 
holy Council in the canon cited forbids to rebaptize not 
only such as the Romans, Lutherans, and Calvinists, (who 
all clearly confess the Holy Trinity, and admit the work of 
our salvation accomplished by the Incarnation of the Son 
of God,) but even the Arians themselves, and the Macedo- 
nians, or Pneumatomachi, with other heretics named in the 
same canon; and orders that they should only be made to 
renounce and anathematize both their own, and all other 
heresies, and so be received by Unction with the Holy Chrism. 

p 



210 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. In order to know what heretics ought to be baptized, any 
^ — one may consult the eighth canon of the same CounciP. 

1 In accordance with the above eighth canon of the second (Ecumenical 
Council is to be understood Can. xlvii. Apost. 

XIII. 

The place of baptism ought to be in the Church, by canon 
lix. of the sixth (Ecumenical Council : notwithstanding, in 
case of necessity, as for instance, when the child is weak, or 
the weather very severe, and the Church at some distance, 
baptism may be performed in private houses. 

XIV. 

In the case of a child being dangerously weak or sickly, if 
no Priest be at hand, a lay person may baptize, that is, 
plunge the child in water, pronouncing the necessary form. 
The servant of God N. is baptized in the Name of the Father, 
^c. : Wherefore, the Priest should teach his parishioners, and 
not men only, but even women, who may be present at 
births, how to act in such circumstances : at the same time 
he should instruct them always in such cases to give him 
immediate notice. Any person, by whose negligence a child 
dies unbaptized, is by can. Ixviii. of the Nomocanon to be 
withheld from the Communion for three years, and must do 
penance by two hundred prostrations daily, and fast the 
monday, Wednesday, and friday in every week. However, 
every baptism so performed by a lay person should, if the 
child live, be filled up by the Priest with prayers and other 
ceremonies, according to the ritual. 

XV. 

Children still-born are not to be baptized ; but the mother 
who miscarries should be examined by her Confessor, whether 
she has not been herself the cause of her own miscarriage by 
negligence ; or even, it may be, wilfully : and if it appear to be 
so, then the Priest should impose penance on the woman, as 
for an involuntary homicide ; or, if it has been wilful, as for 
murder; according to the injunctions of the holy Canons \ 

1 Counc. Ancyr. xxi. ti (Ecum. xci. Basil the Great. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



211 



XVI. 

Foundlings^ unless there be some sufficient testimony 
whether they be baptized or no, even though a paper be 
found with them declaring them to be baptized, such paper 
having no name attached to it, nor naming the Priest who 
has performed the baptism, are without any question to be 
baptized ; according to canons Ixxiii. Counc. Carth. and Ixxxv. 
of the sixth CEcumenicaP. 

1 Peter Mogila, Metropolitan of KiefF, in the OfBce-book edited by 
him, gives this direction : It is not amiss, when baptizing in such cases, 
to add some words in the form itself, thus: ' The servant of God N. is bap- 
tized, if he be not already baptized, in the Name of the Father, Sfc' 

XVII. 

We have said above of the duty of God-parents, that they 
ought to do their best to teach children after baptism the 
faith and law of God, as soon as they begin to grow up; 
and we added, if there be no other instructor : for this duty 
belongs specially to the Priest. Wherefore he will be only 
doing his duty, if every Sunday and holy-day he calls the 
young people together to the church or school some time in 
the afternoon, and there instructs them. 

XVIII. 

This instruction should consist in the explanation of the 
Catechism : in which the first and chief thing is to put them 
in mind of their baptism, and what they promised or vowed 
therein; whom they renounced; to Whom they joined them- 
selves ; that they then received from their heavenly Father, 
for the merits of J esus Christ, remission of their sins ; that 
they bound themselves to devote their lives to a holy obe- 
dience to God ; that they put on the new man ; that is, re- 
ceived new inclinations and powers by grace implanting 
in the understanding an enlightened knowledge of God, of 
virtue, and of the true happiness of man, and in the heart 
love and zeal towards God, and trust in the exceeding love 
of their heavenly Father ; that the white robe given them at 
their baptism signified the innocence, with which they were 

p 2 



212 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, then endued the lighted candle, the lighting of their heart 

'■ — with love to God ; and so forth. All this should be diligently 

instilled into them in their tender years ; so that no occa- 
sion be given to evil propensities to gather strength in them, 
but rather they may be continually stirred up to the love 
of virtue and godly Living : for childhood, like a vessel of 
earthen-ware, with whatever it be filled, whether good or 
bad, will give out an odour afterwards accordingly. And 
thus, while children are young, it is the duty of their God- 
parents to teach them at home, and of the Priest still more 
to teach them in the church, as has been said. 

WITH RESPECT TO THE SACRAMENT OF UNCTION 
WITH CHRISM 

XIX. 

For Unction with Chrism, as it is administered conjointly 
with Baptism, nearly the same remarks are proper as for 
Baptism itself : that is to say; I. The grace and intent of the 
Unction should be explained beforehand to the recipient, if 
his age admit of it ; or, in the case of children, when they are 
old enough to understand. II. The Priest must be pro^dded 
with the proper Chrism, or Ointment of sweet odour, conse- 
crated by the Bishop ; and must be able to pronounce with- 
out hesitation the form of words at Anointing; and know 
what parts of the body are to be anointed. III. The church 
is the place for the application of the holy Chrism, unless 
necessity require otherwise* IV. In case of doubt whether 
any one has been already Anointed or no, he is to be Anointed 
without hesitation. V. No lay person can minister this Sacra- 
ment, even though there be danger of death. VI. With re- 
gard to heretics or schismatics, who come over to the true 
faith, in order to know which of them are to be Anointed, 
and which are to be received without Unction, upon merely 
abjuring heresy and schism, the Priest should consult the 
larger Office-book, and the Order for Uniting Aliens in Faith 
to the Orthodox Eastern Church : folio Ixix. over the leaf. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



213 



CHAP. 

WITH RESPECT TO THE SACRAMENT OF PENITENCE. m. 

XX. 

The Sacrament of Penitence exceeds all the other sacra- 
mental ministrations, which the Priest has to perform, in 
difficulty and responsibility : for it requires a peculiar kind 
of skill, and very great discretion and diligence ; and that for 
this cause, that here the Priest is a spiritual physician, whose 
office is with sick people, and those too sick of many and divers 
diseases. Often in one and the same soul there are many old 
and putrifying wounds, which have corrupted all the parts of 
its substance, and all its vital powers : and further, it is the 
unhappiness of people labouring under such diseases, that 
they either feel no weight from them ; or conceal them from 
their physician ; or lastly, after putting themselves into his 
hands, do not endure the necessary remedies. Wherefore 
also it will be fitting for us to give our instructions on this 
Sacrament more at length, noting what it is the Priest^s duty 
to do, I. Before hearing any confession : II. At the time itself 
of confession, when also this Sacrament is completed by Ab- 
solution : III. After confession. 

XXI. 

BEFORE CONFESSION. 

As confession is usually made with us daring the four 
Fasts, the Priest should every day at these seasons teach his 
parishioners in what acts true penitence consists; that is, 
should shew them what the penitent must do : I. He must 
get a knowledge of his sins, and recall to mind, so far as 
ever he can, all that he has done amiss by deed, word, and 
thought : and first, whatever he has committed knowingly, 
and wilfully, for which his conscience pricks him, or pricked 
him at the time : II. Having such knowledge of his sins, he 
must repent, and be sorry for their commission, for having 
so angered the Lord, and subjected himself to His righteous 
judgment : III. He must confess them before God in prayer 
continually, and before the Priest also, as having the power 



214 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, of absolution^ at convenient season : IV. When he asks mercy 

'- — of God\ he must have before his eyes Jesus Christ crucified, 

and trust only to His merits for the remission of sin : V. He 
must firmly resolve not to relapse into sin, but to begin a 
new life, according to God^s commandments, to be led in 
bringing forth worthy fruits of repentance. 

1 He who has fallen into any grievous sin, especially into any fierce or 
vehement passion of the flesh, ought not to wait the usual time for con- 
fession, but should return as soon as possible after his fall with true re- 
pentance to God, and go to confession ; and so having received for his 
wound such treatment as may be suitable, pray to God with his whole 
heart to forgive him. For in this way the violent impulse of passion may 
be bridled, and the sin prevented from gaining ground : and even though 
it be already confirmed, and have begun to have the mastery over its 
victim, still by this means it will be weakened ; and so he may, by God's 
grace, obtain deliverance from his cruel tormentor ; whereof otherwise the 
hope would be very doubtful. For this cause Jesus the son of Sirach 
writes thus : Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from 
day to day : for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord yo forth, and thou 
shalt perish in the day of vengeance, ch. v. 8, 9. and xviii. 20, 23. 

St. Chrysostom, on Heb., Mor. xxii., writes thus : To put off confession 
is ruin and fear ; but not to put it off is certain and sure salvation : and 
more to the same purpose ; for which see the homily itself. 

XXII. 

By the law is the knowledge of sin : (Rom. iii. 20. and vii. 
7.) and therefore he, who would know his own faults, should 
look into the mirror of the Ten Commandments : (James i. 
25.) and it is very necessary that the Priest should explain 
the Commandments before those of his parishioners, who are 
preparing for confession; and, after each, bid every one to 
examine himself, whether he hath done that which this com- 
mandment requires, or neglected it and left it undone ; and 
whether he hath not done that which this commandment 
forbids; the injunctions and prohibitions of the command- 
ment in its widest sense being such, as he explains. And not 
only must the sins themselves be known, but also their fruits, 
the wrath of God, the punishments laid up for the sinner, 
and that fearful curse both in this world, and in the world to 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



215 



come^ (Deut. xxvii. 26.) to deliver us from wliich^, the Son of chap. 
God drained His most bitter cup of suflPering. Gal. iii. 13. 

XXIII. 

Repentance, if it be unfeigned, cannot be without a loath- 
ing and aversion for sin : and true penitents will not only 
hate the sinful acts themselves, but will also hate and avoid 
the places, instruments, persons, and all other circumstances, 
which may lead to sin. Besides which, the penitent sinner, 
if he have a lively sense of God's wrath against him, cannot 
but feel much confusion and terror of soul, oftentimes even to 
the wasting of his body and the impairing of its strength, 
(Ps. xxxvii. 3, 4,11.) but always in the true penitent producing 
heartfelt sadness, and tears : for tears are as it were the blood 
from the wounded soul; and where they are not, it is a sign 
that the soul thinks there is either no wound at all, or but 
a slight one. The same feelings will further suggest bodily 
mortifications, fastings, and coarse living : (Ps. ci. 5. 10.) for 
the man that is afflicted turns away from all that is sweet 
and pleasant : and such a fast is in the spirit of the Church, 
and well-pleasing to God. 

XXIV. 

A true confession should represent the exact state of the 
soul, as it were in a mirror : and therefore he, who confesses 
himself before the Priest, ought not to conceal either any 
thing of his sins themselves, or of those circumstances, which 
add to or diminish their weight, and for which his conscience 
troubles him : so likewise neither should he excuse himself, 
nor extenuate his sins by any feigned pretexts, as of his 
weakness, necessity, or ignorance : much less should he lay 
his sin to the charge of any other. (Gen. iii. 12, 13.) And 
though he may have had partners in his sin, still neither 
should the Priest seek to know nor the penitent reveal their 
names : otherwise it will not be the confession of a sinner, 
but the self-justification of the Pharisee, and an accusation 
of other men's sins ; sins, perchance, of which the humble 
publican has already been justified. (Luke xviii.11.14.) Such 



216 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, a good confession not only is tlie^natural fruit of sincere 
— and hearty contrition,, and true faith in Christ, but it is also 
clearly grounded on the word of God, (Num. v. 7. Prov. 
xxviii. 131. John i. 9.) and illustrated by examples in the 
same. Nehem. ix. 2. Ps. xxi. 5. Mat. iii. 6. Acts xix. 18. 

XXV. 

But confession without faith in Christ, which in the strictest 
and most proper sense means trust in Christ^s merits, is no 
less dead, than a body without a soul j as the single example 
of Judas shews clearly and convincingly enough. He be- 
trayed Christ, and repented, and confessed his sin, not merely 
in the ear of one other, but publicly before all, and returned 
the pieces of silver ; but because he would not seek God^s 
mercy, with trust, after the example of St. Peter, in the Son 
of God, who had suffered Himself to be betrayed for that 
very end, his confession did him no manner of good; and was 
followed not by absolution, but by despair and the halter. 
How indeed should not this faith be necessary to repentance, 
when it has such virtue, that of itself it brings peace to the 
troubled sinner, and frees him entirely from condemnation to 
torment? Rom. v. 1. and viii. 1.^ 

1 Of this faith St. Justin the Martyr, Quest, xl., says ; Through repent- 
ance and faith in Christ a man receives remission of the sins which he has 
committed. Clement of Alexandria, Strom, lib. ii., has these words : To 
true repentance it is indispensable that ive cease from our sins, and believe. 
St. Ambrose, On Repentance, B. i., writes thus: Repentance cannot be per- 
formed aright, unless there be tru^t for the forgiveness of sin. And in B. x. 
And on Luke xxiv. It is not tears only that God requires, but also faith : 
tears are profitable indeed, but so that we also knoiv Christ. 

XXVI. 

Lastly, the Priest must teach his penitent the necessity of 
forming a firm resolution not to return again to sin, as the 
dog to his vomit, (2 Pet.ii.22.) but to lead a new and virtuous 
life, according to God^s commandment ^ With regard to sins 
that have become confirmed by habit, the man who is held 
by them must without fail be required to use himself to that 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



217 



virtue, which is contrary to his habitual sin, and so, if not CHAP. 

eradicate his sinful habit, which cannot in any short time be '— 

made sure of, yet at least in some degree weaken and reduce 
it : and withal, it is indispensably necessary that he shew that 
he is really fighting against that his ruling sin, and that he 
is in earnest in the war between the dominant lusts and the 
captive mind ; and that for this reason, that the man who is 
enslaved by any sinful habit, unless he thus contend against 
it, cannot be received as truly penitent, and so neither is fit 
for absolution, not having yet begun to free himself from the 
bands of sin. Rom. vi. 16. 

1 Atlianasius, in his book on the Explanation of the Gospel Parables, on 
Quest, cxxxiii., writes thus : Repentance is not the bending of the knees, but 
self-restraint from sin, with self-abasement and mortification, and tears of 
sorrow, and prayer to God to forgive us ivhat we have done amiss : for this 
is signified by the very name jx^rdvoia, that it turns the mind from evil to 
good. And St. Ambrose says ; This is penitence, to iveep for past sins, and 
to avoid doing things worthy of weeping for the future. 

XXVII. 

Besides such explanations of the nature of confession, the 
Priest should admonish his parishioners that every one, who 
has any quarrel with another, be reconciled ; that is, if he 
have done any wrong to any one, to repair it, so far as 
possible. (Mat. v. 23, 24.') Otherwise, if he can make amends, 
and does not, he is not truly penitent ; and, consequently, 
even though the Priest were to absolve him, he would re- 
main unabsolved with God. This is specially applicable to 
the sin of stealing, of which it is said, TTiere is no absolution 
for the sin, unless the thhig stolen be restored. But if a man 
has himself been wronged by any other, then it is his duty 
to forgive the injury, as the debt of one penny from his fellow 
servant, that he may obtain himself forgiveness of his sins 
from God, as of a debt immeasurably greater, not of pence 
but of heavy talents, and so not sufi'er what befel the debtor 
in the Gospel. Mat. xviii. 35. 

1 St. Chrysostom writes ; If in thought thou hast injured any, then in 
thought be reconciled : if by word thou hast injured any, then by tvord be 
reconciled: but if by deed, then be reconciled also by deed. 



218 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



XXVIII. 

Especially should the Priest, if he see any careless about 
repentance, alarm such by the threatenings of God^s wrath 
day by day accumulating, and impending over their heads : 
(Eom. ii. 4, 5. Is. Ixv. 11, &c.) and with his warnings he 
should let them know that repentance deferred very seldom 
finds opportunity at all, partly by reason that such people 
are often through God^s just judgment cut ofi" suddenly, 
and partly because when they come to die, even though the 
death itself be not sudden, there are many things, as the 
severity of sickness, the terror of death, and the lamentations 
of their surrounding friends, which scarcely leave it possible 
for them to make those reflections, or form those dispositions, 
which are necessary for producing a true repentance, espe- 
cially faith and trust in Christ : and besides, it may well 
happen that the very thought of the negligence of their past 
lives should incline such rather to despair, than to hope. 
Lastly, he should teach them that repentance under the 
pressure of pain and fear, even though apparently genuine, 
is not counted to suffice ; because in such cases, it is not that 
we leave our sins, but that our sins leave us. Wherefore re- 
pentance is on no account to be put off" ; but so soon as ever 
a man feels himself to have sinned, so soon should he have 
recourse to it\ 

1 On this subject see what is remarked under section xxi. 

XXIX. 

AT THE TIME OF CONFESSION. 
The Priest should be cautious not to receive to this Sacra- 
ment strangers from other parishes, who seek to avoid their 
own pastor from shame, that they have not left off some 
habitual sin, but remain still in spite of many admonitions 
unreformed. Wherefore, unless there seem some lawful 
reason for receiving them to confession, he should admonish 
them, and send them back to their own Spiritual Director. 

XXX. 

Nothing can be more careless and shameless than the 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



219 



practice of some Priests^ who receive to confession in a body chap. 
not only little children^ boys and girls_, under ten years of — 
age, but also together with them many others^ yo^^^ig people 
of both sexes^ who hare ah'eady passed their fifteenth year; 
and so. without questioning them of sins which they perchance 
may have committed_, and from ignorance not even reckon to 
be sins^ read over them all together and indiscriminately the 
prayer of absolution. And if as a reason for any such dis- 
orderly practice^ it be pretended that the number of people to 
confess is too great for the Priest to get through in one day 
before the Communion^ as the custom is ; the answer is_, that 
there is nothing to prevent him from confessing those who 
are preparing to communicate two or three days^ or even a 
whole weekj beforehand; only in that case he should ad- 
monish such as confess firsts that if their conscience still 
accuse them of any things or if they fall into any fresh sin 
before Communion^ they come and confess a second time : 
and this we may trust would occur but seldom. 

XXXI. 

In questioning the penitent of his sins the Priest should 
be cautious how he enumerates the different kinds and dis- 
tinctions of sins, especially sins of the flesh ; that so he make 
not the penitent acquainted with any sin, of which in past 
time he was ignorant. The safe way is to question only in 
general terms, putting the penitent in mind of the heads of 
the Ten Commandments, and what is contrary to them. In 
like manner also as regards the details and circumstances 
of any sin which is confessed, so far as they tend not to 
make it greater in Idnd, the Priest should be very careful to 
ask no unnecessary questions : but rather let him search and 
enquire diligently after the causes which led to the sin, that 
so he may be able to apply a remedy suitable to the wound; 
that is, to teach the penitent in future to mortify the sin in 
its very bud, and to give it no opportunity for further growth, 
but rather, if he desu-e to be safe from that deadly plant, to 
pluck it up by the roots : also, that he may himself so be the 



220 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAR better able to impose on his penitent a penance suitable to 
the nature and causes of the sin. 

XXXII. 

In hearing any confession if the Priest perceive that the 
sinner is still hard and cold of heart, let him endeavour to 
alarm him by the axe of God^s wrath laid at the root of 
the barren tree; (Mat. iii. 10.) by the cursing, and cutting 
down of the fig-tree; (Mark xi. 14, 21. Luke xiii. 7.) by 
the judgment to come, which shall be terrible even to the 
righteous; (1 Pet. iv. 17, 18.) by the loss of the joys of 
heaven, by the fierceness, and also by the eternity of the 
torments of hell ; by the gnashing of teeth ; by the outer 
darkness ; by the worm that never dieth ; by the sighing and 
weeping without end; by the fire everlasting, and unquench- 
able. (Mat. XXV.) Further, let him terrify the sinner by the 
example of the condemned angels, who kept not their sinless 
state ; by the flood that drowned the whole world ; by the fire 
that burned up Sodom and Gomorrah; (2 Pet. ii. 4, 5, 6.) 
by the divers plagues and deaths, with which the disobedient 
and murmuring Israelites were visited in the wilderness, for 
their unbelief; saying with the Apostle, All these things hap- 
pened unto them for ensamples ; and they are written for our 
admonition, that ive should not lust after evil things. (I Cor. 
x. 5. 11.) Lastly, he should set before the eyes of him, whose 
confession he is hearing, the tremendous example given in 
Jesus Christ Himself, the pledge of our salvation. Who was 
delivered up, and died upon the cross, for sins not his own 
but ours ; and so shew him, as in a clear glass, what the just 
and intolerable wrath of God will inflict upon the sinner, 
who is impenitent. 

XXXIII. 

But if he perceives any to be either doubtful or despair- 
ing of God's mercy, the Priest should comfort such, and 
strengthen them by the thought of God's infinite mercy; 
(Sirach i. 23. ii. 11.) by the sure promises given us, even 
with an oath^, that God willeth not the death of tlie sinner. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



221 



(Ezech. xxxiii. 11.) but to save sinners sent His Son into the chap. 

111. 

world; (John iii. 16. Mat. ix. 13.) by the infinite merit of '- — 

Christ^s Blood shed for all ; (1 John i. 7. and ii. 2.) in which 
we have redemption and forgiveness of sins, according to the 
riches of the grace of God. (Eph. i. 7. Col. i. 14.) Further, 
he should comfort such by the example of sinners who found 
mercy in old time ; as David, after his adultery and murder ; 
as Manasseh, after his idolatry and other wickednesses ; as 
Peter, after his apostacy; as Paul, after he had been a perse- 
cutor ; as the publican ; as the woman taken in adultery ; as 
the thief on the cross ; and others without number^. 

1 Tertullian the Doctor, in his discourse on Repentance, has these 
words : Not only does God command us to repent, hut He also exhorts us 
to it^ He encourages us hy the promise of a rewai'd unto Salvation; He 
even confirms ii by an oath; that we may believe Him. O blessed we, for 
whom God swears ! O thrice-wretched, if, even ivhen God has sworn to us, 
we will not believe Him ! 

2 The holy Martyr Cyprian, in his discourse on the Communion, writes 
thus : Neither the weight of transgressions, nor the shortness of time, not 
even though it be the last hour of life {if there be true contrition of heart, 
and change from evil desires to good) exclude from pardon : but in the in- 
finite bowels of mercy Love, as a mother, receives all returning prodigals ; 
and God's grace, at whatsoever time they turn, receives all penitents. 

XXXIV. 

As the Priests of the Old Testament were commanded 
carefully to distinguish between one kind of leprosy and 
another, (Levit. xiii.) so also under the Gospel should Priests 
very carefully distinguish between sin and sin ; how dan- 
gerous is this particular spiritual leprosy; whether or no 
it has gone deep into the inward substance of the soul; 
whether it has spread widely among its powers and senses ; 
whether it has changed that image of Christ, which must be 
in every true Christian ; (Gal. iv. 19.) whether it has de- 
prived it of the sap of life, that is, of the grace of the 
Holy Ghost, which is the life of the soul : for some sins 
are greater, others less ; some venial, which deprive not of 
the grace of the Spirit, (1 John i. 8. Rom. viii. 1.) others 
deadly!. (Rom. viii. 13. 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Gal. v. 19, 20, 21.) 



222 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. To the first class belong such as are coramitted ignorantly 

'■ — and involuntarily ; to the other such as are done willingly, 

knowingly; and of set purpose, and as it were with a high 
hand against God ; (Numb. xv. 30.) which, if they be not 
eradicated by true repentance, but left from day to day to 
go on increasing, grow up at length into that fearful sin 
against the Holy Ghost, which is unpardonable both in this 
world, and in the world to come. (Mat. xii. 31, 32. Heb. vi. 
4i. X. 26, 29. 1 John v. 16.) Moreover some sins are domi- 
nant, and actually tyrannize over the sinner; (Rom. yi. 12,16.) 
among which the first place belongs to sins of habit ; others 
are not dominant; that is, if a man be not yet rooted in 
them ; and these are to be reckoned more or less among 
the venial sins. Rom. vii. 14, &c. 

1 A deadly sin is compared by St. Chrysostom to a putrifying corpse. 

XXXY. 

This examination is indispensable for the Priest, in order 
that he may know what to do with the sinner, and how to 
treat him. As the Priests of the Old Testament by God^s 
commandment, after inspection made of those who had 
sores, pronounced some, whose sore was not dangerous, 
and had not infected all the body, to be clean, and let 
them go freely ; while others, in whom the mischief seemed 
doubtful, they shut up in a separate place, and inspected 
again at intervals of seven days ; and declared a third class, 
who were infected with real leprosy, to be unclean, and ex- 
pelled them without the camp ; so, precisely, do our Priests 
in the New Dispensation : those sinners, whose sins either are 
of the lesser kind, that is, involuntary and of ignorance, or, 
though grievous and deadly, have begun to be healed by true 
repentance, they absolve, and declare fit to communicate in 
the holy Mysteries ; while in the case of those, whose sins are 
greater, and further deeply rooted in the soul by habit, and 
whose repentance is doubtful, it is proper to defer absolution, 
that they may the more fear, and come to be in earnest 
about repentance ; or, if absolution be given, they should still 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



233 



by all means be kept back from the most holy Mysteries^, 
and examined frequently at intervals^ to ascertain whether by 
the help of God^s grace they have been resisting their evil 
habit, and have freed themselves from its j^oke. Lastly, 
where there is grievous sin, and no doubt that repentance, if 
pretended, is only feigned^, such persons, as being incurably 
diseased, are not to be absolved^; but the Priest has only to 
alarm them by God^s fearful judgments, (of which see above 
under Section XXXII.) and represent to them, that if they 
do not truly and regularly repent, and submit to penance, 
they will be cast out by excommunication from Christian 
communion, even as lepers of old were cast out from the 
camp of Israel. 

1 St. Chrysostom, Serm. Ixxxiii. on Mat., writes as follows: Let no one 
inhuman, no one rough and unmerciful, least of all any one unclean ap~ 
proach here. This I say not only to you, who seeJc to receive the Communion, 
hut also to you, whose ministry it is to give it. For there is need to say the 
sa7ne thing to you also, in order that ye may use great care and diligent 
examination., before distributing these Gifts. No slight torment is that which 
aivaits you, if ye knowingly admit any one, who is still held in his iniqui- 
ties, to aj)f roach to the Communion of this Table : for His Blood shall he 
required at your hands. Though any ruler, though the prince himself seek 
to approach univorthily, forbid him ; admit him not : thy power here is 
greater than his. If thou hadst been set to guard some clean spring of 
ivater for the flock, and sawest that sivine covered tvith stinking mud were 
running into that clean loater, doubtless thou woiddst not suffer them with 
their mud to defile it. Here then, ivhere it is not a spring of water, but of 
Blood, and of the Holy Ghost, that is given to thy keeping, if thou seest 
any one defiled with sin, more putrid than mud, approach without peni- 
tence, art thou not troubled ? Dost thou not forbid him ? And what pardon 
canst thou ever have for such negligence ? It is for this that God has been 
pleased to honour you with the great dignity of the Priesthood, that ye 
should with the utmost diligence guard these Mysteries. This is your merit, 
this your fortitude, this your crown ! not to move about in the church 
in fair and consecrated vestments. But thou wilt say. Whence can I 
know what is in this or that man ? I speak not of those, whom loe know 
not, but of those, whom we know. Listen yet to something fearfid and 
horrible, which I will say : It is not so bad to be possessed by a devil, as to 
he like them, of ivhom St. Paid says, that they ' tread under foot the Son 
of God, and change the Blood of the covenant into an unclean thing, and 
do despite to the Spirit of grace:'' Wherefore, he is far tvorse than one 



224 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. who, hiovnng himself to he defiled, and without penitence, approaches. 

'• They that he possest in that they are tormented of the devil are] hlameless, 

and ivill never he punished vjith torment for that : hut they who approach 
umvorthily the holy Mysteries shall he given over to everlasting torments. 
Therefore we repel at once all those, whom we knoiv to he approaching 
unworthily. Let none he admitted to communicate, unless he he of the dis- 
ciples: let none with a heart defiled, like Judas, receive the hread, lest he 
sufer a like fate with him : It is the Body of Christ; and this multitude of 
the congregation too is His Body. Give diligent heed, then, Priest, 
when thou servest in the Mysteries, that thou anger not the Lord hy heing 
careless to purify th is Body; that thou give not a whetted sword instead of 
hread. But if any one of ohstinacy and madness approach this table, repel 
him; fear not : fear God, not rnan. If thou fearest man, thou shalt he 
despised even hy that very man, whom thou fearest : hut if thou fearest 
God, then shalt thou he honoured of men also. But if thou darest not thy- 
self to repel him, inform me : I will not suffer any such presumption. 
I will sooner lay dovm my life, than give any one the Lord's Body un- 
worthily : I will rather have my own hlood poured out, than suffer any to 
communicate of That most pure Blood, except he he worthy. If any one 
who is defiled approach, and ye knovj it not, then there will he no fault of 
yours, if so he that ye have used diligent care to prevent it. I have heen 
speaking of notorious and open sinners; whom if we correct, God will hye 
and hye reveal to us them also, that we know not : hut if we admit open 
sinners without penitence, what reason will there he that God should dis- 
cover to us the others ? All this I say, not to the end that we should only 
refuse to admit or expel sinners, hut that we should amend them, and 
hring them hack into the right way, and he watchful and diligent for the 
good of all : for thus ive shall hoth gain God's mercy upon ourselves, and 
find a greater number of those, vjho may worthily communicate. And so 
for our own diligent care of others, we shall receive a great revjard. 

Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, in the Nomocanon, fol.DLxxxix., 
writes thus: There are many, who confess, and grieve; hut still either hy 
the force of nature, or of evil disposition, or evilhahit, again relapse, and fall 
into their sin: such should always go and confess, as often as they fall; 
but should never he admitted to the Communion, even though they perform 
the penances, which they have received from the Priest who hound them. 

2 They repent hypocritically, I. Who continue in enmity, and will not be 
reconciled with their neighbours: II. Who having been guilty of dis- 
affection or treason against their Sovereign, the power appointed by God 
in His own stead, repent not, nor reveal their accomplices : III. Thieves, 
who will not restore what they have stolen : IV. Malefactors, who confess 
to their Priest their crimes, but pretend innocence in court : V. All, who 
conceal from their Confessor any part of their transgressions: VI. All, who 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



225 



after sufficient admonition, and with knowledge of the truth, still persist CHAP. 

in not giving up any sinful habit, as fornication, drunkenness, usury, or ^H: — 

any other vice. 

3 To be satisfied that it is his duty not to give any such absolution, or 
admit them to Communion, let the Priest see the Advertisement in the 
Order for Confession beginning thus ; It is to he noticed that all the 
above indulgences or abatements of different penances, Src. fol. xlix. over- 
leaf. L. and LI. 

XXXVL 

At the time of absolution are to be enjoined penances, 
consisting in some particular good works, as prayer, fasting, 
alms ; not that they may make satisfaction to God for sin ; 
for Christ by one offering of Himself in sacrifice to God the 
Father hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified; (Heb. 
X. 14.) but that through the said penances we may shew forth 
worthy fruits of repentance ; (Mat. iii. 8.) and lay the founda- 
tions of a virtuous life ; and, more especially, that we may 
take all possible means to kill the remaining roots of the sin 
which we have confessed; that is, those incentives, which 
generate the sin, and above all, the habit, if it have become 
habitual. Wherefore also such penances should be enjoined, 
as suit best this end : that is, the Confessor should require 
for penance acts of such virtues, as may be most contrary 
to that sin, for which the penance is imposed; for instance, 
from the covetous he should require alms ; from the sensual 
fasting; from the weak in faith and hope prayer: and the 
like in other cases ^ However, in doing this it will be neces- 
sary also to have some consideration for the station of them 
that receive penance, lest we enjoin what is impossible ; as, 
for instance, on a common soldier to give alms ; on an officer 
of the customs, or a shopkeeper, or any other, whose business 
requires constant attention, long prayers, which he cannot 
perform. And on this point we have an example set us 
by the great preacher of repentance, St. John the Baptist. 
Luke iii. 11, 14.^ 

1 Chrysostom, on Mat. iii. Mor. x., writes thus : How can we bring forth 
worthy fruits of repentance, but by doing what is contrary to our sins ? 
Hast thou stolen what is another's 2 Begin then to give away what is thine 

Q 



226 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, own : Hast thou lived a long time in fornication ? Abstain even from a 

'- — lawful hed : Hast thou injured any one hy deed or word ? Then bless them 

that curse thee, and strive to soften them that strike thee, both by serving 
them, and by doing them good. Augustine, De Dogm. Eccles. cliv., has 
these words : Satisfaction in Penitence consists in this, that we eradicate 
the causes of sins, and leave no entrance for their impulses. 

2 On the imposition of penance see the Spiritual Kegulation, in the 
Appendix, under No. xiv. fol. xvi. 

XXXVII. 

For them, whose sins have been secret, the penance im- 
posed should be secret likewise : otherwise, if the penance 
were open, it would make the sin public ^ But open sinners, 
as common harlots, adulterers, sorcerers, drunkards, usurers, 
and the hke, whose wickedness is notorious to all, or to many, 
if they were to be admitted to the Communion of the Body 
and Blood of Christ with other Christians, without any open 
penance, would cause thereby a new scandal, beside that 
caused already by the publicity of their sins ; since, in that 
case, there would be no distinction between the open sinner 
and him, who has never been convicted by any one of sin, or 
who has always lived a good Christian. Wherefore such, on 
account of the open scandal that they have caused, should 
be put to some open penance, which is with strict propriety 
called a satisfaction to the Church, which they have scan- 
dalized, that is, to the community of Christian people 2. 

1 On this point see Canon xxxiv of St. Basil the Great. 
■2 This is the explanation of Jerome, on Mat. vi. and of Augustine, 
Enchirid. ad Laurent, clxv. 

XXXVIII. 

Further, the penance enjoined is to be either greater or 
less, harsher or more lenient, according to the measure of 
the sin, its cause and circumstances; and according to the 
age of the penitent; and, still more, according to the kind 
of repentance manifested by him, whether warm and hearty, 
or cold: for where the heart is warm, even a long penance 
enjoined by the canon may be shortened ; while, on the con- 
trary, if it be cold, even a short one should be lengthened^. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



227 



And since the penance is not strictly a satisfaction to God, chap. 

as lias been said above, a penitent may be absolved even — 

without any penance, if he heartily and with tears promise 
never to return to his sin^. So John the Baptist imposed 
no penance on the publicans who repented, beyond enjoining 
them to act fairly, according to the laws prescribed for their 
office. Luke iii. 13. 

1 See canons xii. of i Counc. (Ecum. and cii. of vi OEcum. Chrysostom, 
on 2 Cor. Mor. xiv. writes thus : / will not require length of time, hut 
amendment of soul. Shew tne only this, that thou he softened, that thou he 
changed, and that is every thing : hut if this he not so, there is no profit in 
time. For neither do we inquire how long a wound has heen hound up, 
hut whether it he at all the hetter for it : for if it has done its work, in how- 
ever short a time, the handage is not to he kept on longer ; hut if not, then, 
though it has heen on even ten years, it must he kept on still. And so let 
this he the term for absolution, when he who has heen hound is corrected. 

2 The same Father, Serm. De Philogon., has these words : / testify and 
pledge myself to you, that if any one of us who were under sin, depart truly 
from his former evil ways, and heartily promise God never again to return 
to them, God requires nothing more for further satisfaction ; for He is 
merciful. 

XXXIX. 

AFTER CONFESSION. 

The following rules are to be observed. 1. The Priest is 
never to disclose to any body a sin confessed to him, nor 
even allude to it in general terms, or in any other way, 
but keep it to himself, as a thing simply sealed up, and con- 
signed to silence for ever : otherwise he subjects himself to 
a heavy sentenced (The exceptions to this rule may be 
found in the Spiritual Regulation, in the Appendix, under 
the Nos. xi. xii.) II. The Priest ought not to use a high tone 
with him that confesses sin, but remember that he is not the 
judge of the penitent, but only the witness of his repentance, 
and a servant appointed expressly to minister to the salva- 
tion of men; (2 Cor. iv. 5.) and that the man who sinneth 
sinneth to God only; (Ps. li. 5.) and he who repenteth from 
God only receiveth pardon : (Mark ii. 7.) but the Priest is 
merely the intermediate instrument, through which God 

Q 2 



228 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



works. III. As regards his authority, let him understand 
that it is spiritual, not temporal ; (John xviii. 36.) consisting 
not in lordship, but in service : (Mat. xx. 25, 26, 27.) and 
therefore he ought to exercise it with all humility, and with 
tears, (Acts xx. 19.) with all gentleness, (2 Tim. ii. 24, 25.) to 
edification, and not to destruction. (2 Cor. xiii. 10.) IV. It 
follows therefore that the Priest should not carry himself 
haughtily, but pray to the Lord for them that confess to 
him, and travail in heart day and night, until Christ be 
formed in them, (Gal. iv. 9.) and dwell by faith in their 
hearts. (Ephes. iii. 17.) And to this end he must use all 
his powers and means, testifying to them both by word and 
deed repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; that they return not into their forlner sins^, but be 
henceforth as vessels sanctified to honour, and meet for the 
Master^s use, prepared unto every good work. (2 Tim. ii. 21.) 
From these reflections every one must clearly see how very 
ill those Priests act, who from anger against any of their 
parishioners, for whatever reason, deprive them of commu- 
nion in the holy Mysteries^, or suffer them not to kiss the 
Cross in the church, when all the rest freely approach to do 
so, or give not the Antidoron, when they come up expecting 
it, or when they exclude any particular persons from any 
Church ceremony, in which all the rest participate. Such 
Priests sin grievously; because by all such acts the Name 
of God is dishonoured, and holy things delivered to us as 
pledges or signs of His grace are turned into instruments of 
malice, or of vile covetousness. 

1 By the Spiritual Kegulation, Appendix No. viii., the Priest, who in 
hearing confessions shews pride or roughness, is to be deprived of that his 
priestly authority ; while, by No. ix., he who reveals any sin confessed to 
him, is to be degraded from the Priesthood, and given over to the tem- 
poral court. And the civil law enacts that such should have their tongues 
cut out by the roots. 

2 St. Chrysostom, upon the Fall of the First Man, has the following : Sin 
not, man, after thou hast received pardon ; wound not thyself after thou 
hast leen healed; defile not thyself after grace ; but reflect on this, that 
after pardon once received, sin is more grievous ; a ivound that has been 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



229 



07ice healed, hut breaks out afresh, gives the sharpest pain ; he offends God CHAP. 

7nuch more, who, after he has been cleansed by grace, again defiles hhnself. 

Therefore he deserves no mercy, who sins after pardon : he is unworthy of 
help, who after he has been cured, wounds his own self : he is unworthy of 
piurification, loho after grace defiles himself. 

3 Gregory the Preacher, B. ii. Ep. xxvi. has these words : If any one 
unrighteously or uncanonically separates another {from the holy Mysteries), 
he condemns, not that other, bwt his own self. And Augustine, Serm. xvi. 
on the Lord's Discourses, has the following : Thou hast begun to account 
thy brother as a publican; thou bindest him upon earth : but see if thou 
doest righteously in binding him : for the bands of injustice justice shall 
tear asunder. 

XL. 

As regards persons in sickness, whether of his own parish 
or str anger Sj if their own Priest be not at hand, any Priest, 
who may happen to be within reach of the sick, may freely 
hear their confessions, and give them absolution for all man- 
ner of sins ; and that, even though they be under formal 
excommunication, if they are in imminent danger of death, 
and truly penitent ; and may give them the Holy Commu- 
nion: with this proviso however, that any person so absolved, 
if he die not, must on his recovery perform the penance 
appointed him, and after having performed it present him- 
seK again to his former Confessor, according to the tenor 
of the canons \ 

^ See canons xiii. of i Counc. (Ecum. and vii. of Carth. and canon v. 
of St. Gregory of Nyssa. 

WITH RESPECT TO THE SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY 
COMMUNION. 

XLI. 

Before giving the communion of the most holy Body and 
Blood of Christ, the Priest should duly instruct them that 
wish to communicate, that This, the Body and Blood of Christ, 
is not only in name what it is called, but also verily and in- 
deed is His Body, and His Blood, under the forms of bread 
and wine : for that, which consummates this Sacrament, is the 
operation of the Holy Ghost, to Whom nothing is impossible : 
and our Saviour Christ instituted this Communion before His 



230 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. Passion, at His last supper, expressly to this end, that faithful 
Christians partaking of this Sacrament might be made par- 
takers of Christ Himself, and so be worthy sons by adoption 
of the Father in heaven, and true members of Christ's Body 
and Church ; that they might commemorate the saving suf- 
ferings and death of Christ; and give Him hearty thanks 
as their Redeemer : (Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25, 26.) for 
which last reason this Communion is called also the Eucha- 
rist ; that is, the Service of Thanksgiving. 

XLII. 

Likewise he should teach them that this Communion is to 
them, that receive it worthily, unto life eternal : (John vi. 5 1, 
53, 54.) that Christ Himself is communicated to such, and 
lives in them ; (ver. 56.) and promises even after their deaths 
to raise them up again, as precious vessels, and dwellings 
pleasant unto Himself, at the last day. On the contrary, 
they, who receive unworthily, receive it to themselves unto 
condemnation; and with sin like that of the Jews, who 
mangled the Body of Christ, and shed His Blood; and sub- 
ject themselves to God's judgment, to punishments both tem- 
poral and eternal: (1 Cor. xi. 27, S0\ John xiii. 27.) And 
with such people it often happens that the last state is worse 
than the first. Mat. xii. 45. 

1 So St. Chrvsostom affirms. Serm. xxvii. on 1 Cor. xiii. 27. 

XLIII. 

And therefore, when the Priest purposes to celebrate this 
so great and tremendous Sacrament, he ought both to prepare 
himself with all purity, and minister at it with reverence and 
godly fear ^ ; and also without fail teach those of his people, who 
may be preparing themselves for the Communion, that they 
also approach it with purity and reverence^; and that every 
one diligently try and examine himself in his own conscience; 
(1 Cor. xi. 28.) that is, whether he have truly repented, and 
still repent ; whether he heartily hate the sins which he hath 
committed, together with which Christ can in no wise abide in 



I 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



231 



the heart of man ; (2 Cor. vi. 14, 15.) whether he hath begun chap. 
to live to Christ ; whether he perceives in himself the fruits — 
of justification obtained by Christ's Blood; that is, peace with 
God, and joy at his heart in the Holy Ghost : (Rom. xiv. 17. 
and XV. 13.) for all these effects are wrought in a man by 
that lively and saving faith, by which it is requisite for everj'' 
man to try himself, who would communicate worthily ; as the 
Apostle teaches. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 

1 Basil the Great, writing to a certain Priest concerning the Divine 
Service, in the Nomocanon, (fol. cclii. over the leaf,) has the following : 

Study, Priest, to slieio thyself a worhman needing not to he ashamed, 
rightly dividing the word of truth : take care that thou never stand in the 
congregation having enmity against any one, lest thou drive aioay the 
Comforter : on the day that thou art to minister do not talk much ; do 
not hurry ; hut remain in the church, praying, and reading holy hooks, 
till the hour when thou art to perform Divine Service : and so stand ivith 
a contrite and pure heart hefore the holy altar : do not look about thee 
here and there ; hut with fear and tremhling stand hefore the King of 
Heaven : and try not, for the sake of pleasing men, to shorten the prayers : 
accept not the person of a man ; hut look solely to that Ring, Who is lying 
hefore thee^ and to the heavenly powers standing round about Him . . . 
Take heed Whom thou, standest hefore, and how thou ministerest. 

2 St. Chrysostom, in his sermon on the Blessed Philogonus, Bishop of 
Antioch, writes thus : If we approach with faith, we shall doubtless behold 
Christ lying as it were in the manger : for here also is laid the Body of 
the Lord, not wrapt in swaddling clothes, as then, hut clothed on all sides 
with the Holy Ghost. They will understand what I say, who are enlightened 
by faith. There the Magi, who came, only %oor shipped : but thou, if thou 
comest with a pure conscience, art permitted also to receive It, and to depart 
home. Do thou therefore also approach ; and bring gifts, not such as they, 
but much more precious : they brought gold; bring thou chastity, and other 
virtues : they brought frankincense ; bring thou the spiritual frankincense 
of pure prayers : they brought myrrh ; bring thoit self-abasement, hu- 
mility, and alms. And if thou approachest with these gifts, then shalt 
thou feed with a confident hope, and enjoy the sweets of this holy Table. 
Let us not do this then to the hurt, nor to the condemnation of our soul, 
but to salvation. I now testify and entreat you, that ye in every manner 
of way cleanse yourselves first, and so app)roach the holy Mysteries. 

And in Serm. Ixxxiii, on Mat. he writes thus: Let no one half dead 
approach hither, no one unsound; but cdl ivith a glovnng heart and 
flaming spirit, lighted and burning. For if the Jews ate the Passover 



232 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, standing y with their feet shod, and their staves in their hands, in haste, 

'- — much more oughtest thou now to be wakeful. They had to go out into 

Palestine, and therefore were habited as men ready for the journey ; but 
thou hopest to go out to heaven, and for this must be ever watching : for it 
is no slight torment, which aioaits the unworthy partaker. Think, how 
odious to thee is the traitor, and they, who crucified Jesus Christ : see then, 
that thou he not thyself also guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ : They 
mangled His most holy Body ; and thou, after so many and great benefits, re- 
ceivest It with a defiled soul. For He counted it not enough to be made man, 
to be smitten on the cheek, and to be slain; but, further, He communicates to us 
His Own Self, and makes us, not through faith only, but verily and indeed 
to be His Body. Much more then needs it that he be pure, who partakes of 
this Sacrament : yea, surely, both the hands, that divide this Body, and the 
lips, that are filled with this spiritual Fire, and the tongue, which is moistened 
with this most awf ul Blood, ought to be purer even than the very rays of the 
sun. Think to what an honour thou art admitted I What a table thou 
enjoy est ! a table, at the sight of which the very Angels themselves tremble^ 
and dare not so much as look upon it without fear, for the rays of glory 
which break forth from it. And from this we are fed ; of this we are par- 
takers; and become one body with Christ, and one flesh. Who shall declare 
the wonders of the Lord, or shew forth all His praise ? 

And again, on Eplies. Mor. iii.: / see many, who communicate of the 
Body of Christ perfunctorily, and as it were by chance, of custom rather 
and rule, than with reflection or thought. When the holy season of Lent 
comes, in whatever state a man may be, he communicates of the Mysteries, 
although, perchance, it be then no time for him to approach them. For it is 
not Lent that makes men flt to approach them, but holiness, and purity 
of soul : With these approach freely always, and at all seasons ; without 
these never. 

On the same subject see also Mor. xxiv. on 1 Cor. and xvii. on Heb. 

XLIV. 

They, who by the rule given above under the head of 
Penitence ought not to be absolved, or who, though ab- 
solved, have been enjoined by their Confessor to abstain from 
the Divine Communion, till they overcome their evil habit, 
and shew fruits worthy of repentance, are of course not to 
be. admitted to partake of the Mysteries. Likewise neither 
should persons out of their mind be received; seeing that 
such cannot try and examine themselves, which is absolutely 
required by the Apostle. (1 Cor. xi, 28.) Further, the Priest 
must take care that in giving the Communion of the holy Mys- 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



233 



teries to his people he give not any of the particles offered in chap. 
commemoration of the Saints^ for the health of the livings — 
and for the rest of the dead^ but only the one oblation of the 
Lamb, which he has broken : for none of those other particles 
are the Body of Christ. In like manner neither should he 
communicate any with the water, with which the Chalice is 
rinsed after Communion ; still less with the dycdafjia, or holy 
water blessed on the Epiphany; which some ignorant wretches 
doing, introduce thus a new Sacrament of their own ; while 
others, either of ignorance, or carelessness, or through other 
circumstances, have dared to do the like, not considering that 
thereby they sin mortally. 

XLV. 

With regard to the sick, the Priest is bound to take un- 
remitting care that they depart not to the other world with- 
out the Communion of the Holy Mysteries, which is their 
most necessary and salutary viaticum : and to that end he 
should admonish his parishioners that whenever they have 
any one sick in their houses, they give him notice immedi- 
ately : and ;he, upon receiving such notice, is to leave every- 
thing else, and hasten to the sick person ; that he may have 
time, while the mind is still clear, to bring him to true re- 
pentance; and after hearing his confession, give him the 
Communion not unworthily ; and so, with that provision for 
the way, let him depart in hope of the resurrection, and of 
everlasting life'. In the contrary case, if from any negligence 
a sick man die without having received the Communion, 
the Priest is to be subjected to a severe inquiry, or even, 
under certain circumstances, to be deprived^; while they, 
who may have neglected to give notice, are excluded from 
the Divine Mysteries. 

1 Chrysostom, Sem. vi. on the Priesthood, ch. iv., has the following 

passage : I was once told hy a certain man, who heard it not from any 
other, hut had heen honoured hy God to see and hear the thing itself, that if 
any are departing this life, and receive the Communion with a pure con- 
science, then at the moment that they expire, a multitude of Angels, as in 



234 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, attendance on that Holy Thing, Which they have received within them, 

— — surround, and conduct them hence. 

2 The same Father, on Acts, Mor. iii. writes thus : If even a single one 
depart without having received the Communion, has not the Priest ruined 
thereby entirely his own salvation ? For the loss of one soul is so great a 
thing, as no words can describe. For if its salvation is of so much worth, 
that even the Son of God was made man, and suffered all those sufferings 
for its saJce, think what punishment and torment must await him, who 
causes its loss. 

WITH RESPECT TO THE SACRAMENT OF ORDERS. 

XLVI. 

The ministry of this Sacrament, that is, the Laying on of 
Hands for the Priesthood, is the work of the High-priest or 
Bishop ; and the clerk ordained receives from him that in- 
struction, which is necessary for his Order. As regards 
him^ who comes to be ordained Priest, what should be his 
character, and how he should come, the first of these two 
points has been handled at length in Ch. II. Part ii. where 
we have shewn what should be the Priest's character from 
the Apostle's teaching ; while the second has been also briefly 
mentioned in Ch. I. Section vi. 

WITH RESPECT TO THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. 

XLVII. 

They, who are about to enter into matrimony, should be 
told by the Priest to what end it was ordained, and taught 
from thence their duties to one another: as, that God ordained 
marriage for the increase of mankind ; (Gen. i. 28.) and not 
merely so; for the mere increase of kind is common to 
beasts; but for the increase of mankind to glorify their 
Creator : for to this end also it was, that man was created 
in the image of God, and after His likeness, (ver. 27.) 
Therefore they, that marry, should consider the end and 
object of their union to be the procreation of children to be 
brought up in the fear of God, in His true religion, and in 
all manner of virtue. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



235 



XLVIII. 

And whereas God ordained matrimony for mutual help, 
(Gen. ii. 18.) the Priest should likewise teach them, that 
marry, that they owe each to each fidelity and help, and, as 
the source of all this, love unfeigned, both in prosperity and 
in adversity, in health and in sickness, however disagreeable 
or tedious the sickness may be, or whatsoever else may befall : 
and he should teach that the wife must be subject unto her 
husband, as to the head ^ and give him reverence and worship ; 
while the husband must love the wife, even as his own body ; 
even as himself ; not treating her as a slave, but living with 
her according to knowledge, giving her honour, as to the 
weaker vessel. 1 Pet. iii. 7. 

1 See 1 Pet. iii. 5, 6. Ephes. v. 22... 33. 

XLIX. 

Further, whereas marriage, since man fell into sin, and his 
carnal appetites ran wild, became a preventive remedy against 
fornication, it follows, that it is the duty of married persons 
even in matrimony itself to avoid fornication; that is, not only 
adultery with other persons, but also every kind of excess^ : 
(1 Cor. vii. 5. 29. 1 Thess. iv. 3 . . 7.) that their marriage 
may be not in word only, but also in deed honourable, and 
the bed undefiled. 'Heb. xiii. 4. Ephes. v. 32.^ 

1 It may be not unprofitable to read over to tbem, that are to be married, 
the history of the virtuous Tobias, and bid them attend to that, which he 
testifies of himself before the Lord; And now, Lord, I take not this my 
sister to he my wife for lust, hut uprightly. Tobit viii. 7. 

2 St. Chrysostom, Mor. xii. on Coloss. has the following : Marriage is a 
Sacrament, and the image of a great thing : and even if thou reverence it not 
for itself, yet reverence that, of which it is the figure : that is, the union of 
Christ the Son of God with His Church. 

This sacrament {or mystery), writes the Apostle, is great ; hut I speak with 
t:espect to Christ and to the Church. 

L. 

The Priest should further strictly charge them that their 
marriage be celebrated decently; in Christian, not in heathen 
fashion; without lewd and scandalous songs; without dances 



236 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, and cries whicli betoken rather a Sodomitish_, than a 

' — Christian wedding : also,, that there be no divinations^ nor 

any kind of superstitious practices : for such practices are 
suggested by the evil spirit : and as is the seed sown, so also 
are the fruits, that come of it : as is the spirit, in which 
any marriage is first celebrated, so probably will be also the 
future life of the new-married couple. 

1 Canon lii. of the Council of Laodicea contains these words: It is unbe- 
coming Christians, when invited to a wedding, to clap their hands, or dance ; 
but they should dine, or sup, orderly, and soberly, as becomes their profession. 
Also consult Mor. xii. of St. Chrysostom on Coloss. ; where that great 
Doctor of the Church teaches Christians at length how they ought to 
manage and celebrate weddings. 

LI. 

A week or more before celebrating any marriage, the 
Priest on some Sunday or holy-day, must give notice of it to 
the congregation in the Church, (as is prescribed both by the 
Nomocanon ^, and by divers imperial edicts^), that all unlawful 
marriages may be prevented ; asking if any one knows of any 
affinity or other lawful cause or impediment to the union of 
the parties in matrimony ; and if so, bidding him to declare 
it. Meanwhile, it is the Priest's duty to question the man 
and the woman, whether they know the Lord's Prayer, the 
Creed, and the Ten Commandments : for it were shameful 
and sinful to enter upon matrimony, and seek to become the 
father and mother of childi-en, without knowing that, which 
it will be their bounden duty to teach their children. Further, 
the Priest must be sure to know himself accurately the degrees 
of consanguinity and affinity, within which the canons of the 
Church forbid marriage : and if in any case he be in doubt, 
he should have recourse to his Bishop, as may be found laid 
down in the Spiritual Regulation : fol. Ixxvi. sect. xi. 

1 In the Nomocanon read what is said of marriage at fol. dxxi. 

2 First by the edict dated August xv. mdccxxviii. sect, i., and again by 
another dated July xxvii. mdcclxv. it is ordered, that notice be given in 
good time to those interested in either of the parties about to contract 
matrimony, if there be any lawful impediment. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



237 



LIT. CHAP. 

The Priest is required to solemnize all marriages in the 

cliurcli^ and in presence of others,, as witnesses necessary in 
such a matter : and when the contract is to be made^ he must 
ask both parties severally^ whether they wish of their own free 
will to contract together; and without an answer to this 
question he must proceed no farther : and should any person^ 
especially the young woman, avow or shew by weeping that 
she does not consent, and that compulsion has been used, 
the Priest should immediately break off the ceremony, and 
withal admonish the parties attempting compulsion, that they 
do not so by any manner of means ^; as in such case the 
mai'riage is not good ; and he, who has used the compulsion, 
will be liable to be held guilty and punished, just as if he 
had been guilty of a forcible abduction : regarding which 
see below, in the following section. 

1 It is forbidden under heavy penalties for parents to force their children, 
or masters their serfs, into any marriage against their will : and to prevent 
any such compulsion it is required that the parents should make oath on the 
one side that they are not forcing their son, or on the other their daughter, 
to marry against his or her mil ; while masters must give their servants 
letters, pledging themselves under the curse of God's judgment and their 
own oath. And if, under such circumstances, no unwillingness is shewn 
on either side, the Priest is to Crown the parties who seek to be married, 
according to the order of the Church. Jan. v. mdccxxiv. an edict was 
printed on this subject, and published to take eflfect; for which see in the 
Collection, at the date above given. 

LIII. 

Notwithstanding, though both the man and the woman 
shew that they mutually consent to marry, still if it be with- 
out the consent of their parents, or if only one of the parties 
has obtained such consent, and the other not, the Priest is on 
no account to crown (or marry) any such couple : least of all, 
if the young woman has been carried off by force, and brought 
to be married under compulsion : for such marriages are no 
marriages at all, but mere lawless outrages. The daughter, 
who without the consent of her parents, and the maid-servant 



238 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, who without the consent of her lord presumes to marry, 

' — subjects herself to ecclesiastical penance' : and the like is to 

be understood of sons also, and of men-serfs, if still under 
authority^ But they who forcibly abduct a maiden, to marry 
her, incur an anathema, together with all who aid or abet 
them ; while the ministers of the Church are to be utterly 
degraded^. 

1 See in the Nomocanon, among the canons of St. Basil the Great, for 
the case of a daughter, can. xxxviii., of a bond-maid, can. xl. 

2 For the case of sons, see among the same canons can. xlii. 

3 For the case of abduction, see can. xxii. of iv Counc. CEcum. and can 
xxvii., and can. xciv. of vi Counc. CEcum. They who carry off women to 
marry, and likeivise all who aid or ahet them, if clerhs, are to be degraded ; 
if laymen, we decree them to be anathema. And by the civil law such are 
subject to severe sentence and punishment: for according as the circum- 
stances of the crime may have been, it is ordered that some be beheaded; 
others have their noses slit, and be banished ; others have their hands cut 
off; while their accomplices, after severe corporal punishment, are to be 
banished. See Matth. Blastar. in tom. ii. of the Pandects, in the Alpha- 
betical Collection of the Canons of the Church and of certain Civil Laws, 
under the letter A. cap. xiii. 

LIV. 

Young people of the male sex under fifteen, and of the 
female under thirteen years of age, are not to be married ; 
nor even though a youth have completed his fifteenth year, 
if the other party, to whom he is to be married, be much older. 
In like manner neither are very old people, or such as are 
mutilated, or unfit for the duties of marriage, nor any out of 
their minds, or intoxicated, (until they are sober,) nor any, who 
know not the Ten Commandments and the essential articles of 
the faith, until they have learnt them. Neither is the Priest to 
marry vagabond people, or new comers, until they shew some 
satisfactory certificate, if women, that they have not left a 
husband, if men, that they have not left a wife any where 
else behind them : but in such cases he should defer solem- 
nizingthe marriage, till he has some credible assurance on these 
points : and if he learn that their demand is improper, and 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



239 



that the marriage would be unlawful, he must refuse ; and on 
no account proceed to the celebration \ Otherwise, the Priest 
who marries any such couple, is held by the canons to become 
a party to the offence of those, who contract together un- 
lawfully, and subjects himself to degradation. 

1 Canon xi. of Timotheus, Archbishop of Alexandria, has these words : 
If a Priest, after having been called upon to solemnize a marriage, find out 
that it is unlaivful, let him not make himself partaker of other mens sins. 

LV. 

Here it is proper for us to mention that the Priest must on 
no account presume of himself, without knowledge and con- 
sent of his Bishop, to marry any orthodox person to an alien 
of another faith, notwithstanding that such alien may be a 
Christian. 

On the subject of mixed marriages between orthodox persons and aliens 
in faith, sufficient instructions for all necessary purposes have been com- 
posed by the Most Holy Governing Synod, and printed and published 
August xviii. mdccxxiv. 

WITH RESPECT TO THE SACRAMENT OF THE UNCTION 
OF THE SICK WITH OIL. 

LVI. 

In this, in like manner as in other Sacramental ministrations, 
the Priest should teach the person who needs the Sacrament, 
that the Unction with Holy Oil, if received with faith and sure 
trust in Christ J esus, procures the healing of bodily disease, 
and the forgiveness of sin, that may have been committed, 
according to the word of the Apostle James, (ch. v. 14, 15.) 
However, since forgiveness of sins and a lively and saving 
faith in Christ Jesus require and imply true repentance, the 
sick person must by all means, before being Anointed, pre- 
pare himself by true repentance, and confess his sins, and 
receive absolution. 

LVIl. 

And the Priest should withal exhort the sick, that he place 
his life in the Lord^s hands, and think of what is to come ; 



CHAP. 
III. 



240 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, how he must appear before God, the judge of all men : and 
here let him never take his mind^s eye off from Jesus 
Christ, our Mediator with God, and our Surety ; Who alone 
is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world: (1 John 
ii. 1, 2.) Who was delivered to death for our sinSy and rose 
again for our justification : (Rom. iv. 25.) and to Him alone 
let him cling with all his heart ; and hold Him, like the Pa- 
triarch Jacob of old, saying, / will not let Thee go, except 
Thou bless me ; (Gen. xxxii. 26.) until Thou shall have de- 
fended me from all them that speak aqainst my soul, and 
brought me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy dwelling, 

LVIII. 

Indeed it is the Priest's duty at all times during sickness, 
and not only when the Unction is administered, but most 
especially on the approach of death, to keep up the fainting 
heart of the sick, and comfort his troubled soul, by visiting 
him expressly for that end, and giving him from God's word 
such instruction and consolation, as may best strengthen him, 
and furnish him forth for his journey ; that he may pass from 
this temporal life to the life eternal in hope of salvation. 
The last hours of a man's life and the moments of his mortal 
agony especially demand this\ 

1 On such occasions we may use with advantage, I. Proper psalms, such 
as Ps. xxiii, xxvii, xlii, cxvi, cxlii, and the Penitential Psalms, vi, xxxviii, 
li, cxxx, and cxliii. II. From the other books of the infallible word of 
God we should choose those passages, in which it is clearly shewn that God 
willeth not the death of a sinner, but is willing to save all, even every one : 
As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, 
hut that he turn from his way and live. Ezech. xxxiii. ] 1. The same is con- 
firmed 1 Tim. ii. 4. Also we should set forth God's love to mankind ; that 
God sent His Son into the world solely to save sinners : So God loved the 
world, that He gave His Own only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John iii. 16. And, at 
Mat. ix. 13. the Lord says, Go ye, and learn what that meaneth, I will 
have mercy and not sacrifice : I am not come to call the righteous, but 
sinners to repentance. And the holy Apostle Paul, Eom. viii. 31, 32. 
writes ; If God be for us, who can be against us P He that spared not 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



241 



His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him CHAP. 

freely give us all things P III. Again, we should use those texts, which '- — 

assure us that the sinner, who repenteth, is justified solely by God's grace, 
through lively and saving faith, and by none other thing whatever. Rom. iii. 
24, 25. Being justified freely through His grace, through the redemption 
which is in Christ Jesus, Whom God hath set forth to he a propitiation hy 
faith in His blood. Ephes. ii. 8, 9. By grace are ye saved, through faith : 
and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man 
should boast. With the same agrees 1 John i. 7. The Blood of Jesus 
Christ, (that is, through true repentance and trust in Him) cleanseth us 
from all sin. To the same effect is Heb. x. 19. IV. Further, we should 
assure the sick that this goodness of God is not to be overcome by any 
amount of transgressions, so that only the sinner truly and sincerely repent. 
For our heavenly Father most lovingly receiveth all such, as we may 
shew by the examples of the prodigal son ; Luke xv. 11. of the publican; 
Luke xix. 2. of the thief on the cross ; Luke xxiii. 42. of David, who had 
committed adultery and murder ; 2 Kings xii. 11, 12, 13. of Pe^er, who had 
apostatized; Luke xxii. 61 ; John xxi. 15. of the sinful woman, who 
repented ; Luke vii. 38. V. When we set forth the love of God, we may 
read ch. xvii. of John, and xv, of 1 Cor. and suggest to the sick, that tem- 
poral death to them that truly repent, believe, and trust in Jesus Christ, 
is only a sleep, and a passage from this troublesome life straight to ever- 
lasting bliss. John v. 24. And lastly, VI. that they that believe in Christ, 
and die trusting in Him, shall rise again at the last day, John vi. 40. not 
to condemnation, ch. iii. 10. but to the inheritance of the Kingdom of 
Heaven, and to everlasting glory. Philipp. iii. 20, 21 . 



R 



CHAPTER IV. 

ON 

PRAYER. 



THE PRIEST'S FOURTH DUTY IS PRAYER; WHICH IS INDEED COMMON TO 
ALL CHRISTIANS WITHOUT EXCEPTION, AS WELL AS TO PRIESTS ; (FOR WE 
ARE ALL AND EVERY ONE OF US BOUND TO PRAY TO THE LORD BOTH 
FOR OURSELVES AND FOR OTHERS; MAT. VI. 9, ETC. EPH. VI. 18. COLOSS. 
IV. 2.) YET AS THE WORD OF GOD LAYS THIS DUTY MORE ESPECIALLY 
UPON PRIESTS, WE JUDGE IT NEEDFUL AND PROFITABLE IN ORDER TO 
THEIR HAVING THE REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE ON THIS POINT, ESPECIALLY 
SUCH OF THEM AS HAVE NOT BEEN BROUGHT UP TO LEARNING, TO 
SET BEFORE THEM THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS : 

I. ON PRAYER, GENERALLY; AND WHAT OUGHT TO BE KNOWN AND 
OBSERVED IN IT : II. ON PRAYER AS THE SPECIAL DUTY OF PRIESTS ; 
SHEWING ALSO THAT PRIESTS SHOULD TEACH THEIR PEOPLE THE 
TRUE WAY OF PRAYING TO GOD. AND SO THIS CHAPTER IS DIVIDED 
INTO TWO PARTS. 

PART I. 

ON PRAYER GENERALLY, AND WHAT OUGHT TO 
BE KNOWN AND OBSERVED IN IT. 

I. 

CHAP. The word of God directs us to Pray to the Lord, and 

IV 

'■ — natural reason, when in a sound state, leads man to do the 

same : for there is one God, the sole author and giver of all 
good ; and all creatures, whatever good, beauty, or strength 
they possess, receive it all from His fulness : and He distri- 
butes all His mercies and bounties solely by His own 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



243 



almighty goodness and wisdom ; as He willeth, and to whom PART 

He willeth ; and no man can receive any thing, except it be '- — 

given him from heaven. (John iii. 27.) For every good gift, 
and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from 
the Father of lights. James i. 17. 

II. 

But as man needs to be prepared and enabled to receive 
those manifold mercies and bounties, which God distributes,, 
to this end the Lord Himself hath given him, as to His rea- 
sonable creature, one especial mean, which is the command 
to Pray: Ask, He saith, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye 
shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Mat. vii. 7.) 
Ask, and ye shall receive. (John xvi. 24.) And for the fulfil- 
ment of this commandment. He has also prescribed to us a 
certain form of Prayer. Mat. vi. 9. 

III. 

However, it was not for His own sake that He gave us this 
law, but for ours ; that we, knowing Him, and Him alone, to 
be both our life, and the giver of all good, might not seek in 
our wants and necessities to other gods, or make gods of any 
of the creatures, as in former times was done by the heathen, 
that knew not God ; but might come unto Him, and ask of 
Him in Prayer, as of our Maker and Lord, all things that 
may be good and profitable for us. 

IV. 

The Lord was pleased to ordain this way and order for 
man, and so to distinguish him in the reception and use of 
His benefits from all other creatures. Thus it seemed good 
to His unsearchable wisdom and goodness ; to the end that 
man, receiving good gifts from the right hand of the Most 
High, should use them, not as the beasts that have no under- 
standing, but as a reasonable creature, with Prayer and 
Thanksgiving, glorifying His most holy Name. 

V. 

Prom the above propositions it is clear that Prayer is the 
mean^ given by God to man, by help of which he may draw 

^2 



244 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, near in mind to God, and devoutly present himself to ask 
' — of Him good gifts : and whatever he asks according to His 

will, with faith, in spirit and in truth, that God will give 

him, and he shall receive. 

1 To be brief ; Prayer is the ascent or lifting up of our mind to God, 
with the asking Him for good gifts. Or again ; Prayer is the asking God 
for good gifts with devotion. 

This account of Prayer partly rests on the foregoing propositions, partly 
shall be made out below in what are to follow. 

VI. 

Here withal we must understand that under the general 
name Prayer many different duties or parts of the service of 
God, both inward and outward, are included. Christ said of 
that worship which became God ; TTie true worshippers shall 
worship the Father in spirit , and in truth : (John iv. 23.) 
and again, of love to God ; Thou shall love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
mind. (Mat. xxii. 37.) The Apostle says. Present your 
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is 
your reasonable service. (Rom. xii. 1, &c.) All these and the 
like commandments are practised and fulfilled only by true 
Prayer, and without Prayer cannot so be. 

VII. 

The duties belonging to the inward service of God are 
these : the true knowledge of God and of His law ; faith in 
our Lord Jesus Christ; love to God and our neighbour ; trust 
in God ; the fear of God ; purity of heart ; humility ; obedi- 
ence; meekness; patience; and constant thankfulness. And 
whereas all these duties spring from one root ; that is, from 
the true knowledge of God and of His wiU spring faith and 
love, and from these all the rest ; this makes them to be all 
so bound up together, that no one of them can exist in any 
perfection without the rest. But true Prayer has that nature 
in itself, that it embraces all those different parts, and so in- 
cludes and implies them in its own name ; nor indeed with- 
out them can it itself exist. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



245 



The above-named duties are great virtues, and produce marvellous PART 

effects in man. Faith brings him to God : love unites him, and makes — ~ 

him one spirit with the Lord : 1 Cor. vi. 17. trust or hope comforts him : 
the fear of God maketh him wise unto salvation, and never allows him to 
depart from God : purity enlightens him : humility and obedience, with 
repentance, receive remission of sins : patience and meekness make him 
strong and unwavering in all his duties : thankfulness makes him that is 
thankful to be beloved : but the only mean, by which all these things 
are to be obtained, is Prayer. 

YIII. 

From the inward service of God should proceed that which 
is outiL'arcP : for the outward service of God ought to be 
nothing else than the manifestation of the inwai'd^ shewn to 
the honour and praise of the most High. The duties thereto 
belonging are these : the confession by the lips of our most 
holy faith ; the preaching of God^s word on Sundays and 
holydays^ and the like^ as going to church for public prayer^ 
attendance there^ hearing the reading and singing, and 
especially the word of God read and preached, giving alms to 
the poor, and doing all manner of good offices to our neigh- 
bours in their wants and necessities, building or furnishing 
churches, as well as making particular offerings or gifts for 
such ends. All these things are sacrifices well pleasing to 
God; (Heb. xiii. 16.) if they proceed directly from the inward 
worship or service ; that is, from faith, and love to God and 
oui' neighbour. 

1 Although natural reason in its sound state has some idea of this latter 
kind of worship, as well as of the former, either innate in itself, Ps. 
cxxxix. 6. or derived from contemplation of the creatures ; as it is written. 
The heavens declare the gloru of God, and night unto night shetceth knoic- 
ledge : Ps. six. 3, still, for the conception of such outward service of God 
to be sound and complete, and for all its realization in practice to be free 
from superstition, there needs beyond the mere natural conception some- 
thing more, for which we must have recourse to the writings of the 
Apostles and Prophets : for their words are the words of God Himself, 5 
words, established for ever, done in truth and equity. Ps. cxi. 7, 8. 

IX. 

Prayer is divided into public, that is, ecclesiastical, and 
private. Public prayer is that offered with, the congregation 



246 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



in the church, or in any other place where a number of be- 
lievers are present ; but private is that which an individual 
offers alone. 

X. 

Private prayer is made in two ways : I. When any one in 
his house_, or elsewhere, retires from company, and prays pri- 
vately to the Lord. Of this kind of private prayer it is, that 
the Lord saith ; Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut 
to thy door, pray to thy Father fVho is in secret, and thy 
Father Which seeth in secret shall reivard thee openly ^ : (Mat. 
vi. 6.) 11. When any one either in company or alone, sitting 
or standing, prays earnestly within his secret soul, not in 
words but in thought only, but still with all his heart, and 
all his strength, and all his mind, as standing before God 
Who is omnipresent. Of such prayer as this it is that the 
Apostle speaks, when he says ; We ourselves groan tvithin our- 
selves, ivaiting for the adoption, to luit, the redemption of our 
body. (Rom. viii. 23.) and in another place ; by Grace singing 
in your hearts to the Lord : (Coloss. iii. 16.) and holy David; 
In the night I communed loith mine own heart, and tried my 
spirit : (Ps. Ixxvii.) ^ while of all kinds of prayer, private 
and public, in common Christ says; The true worshippers 
shall iDorship the Father in spirit, and in truth : (John iv. 23, 
24.) and His Apostle ; / will pray ivith the spirit ; I will 
pray with the understanding also. 1 Cor. xiv. 15. 

1 An example of the first kind of private prayer was shewn us by Christ 
Himself in His own person: Jesus^ says the Evangelist, went up into the 
mountain alone, to pray. Mat. xiv. 23. also ; He withdrew Himself into the 
tvilderness, and prayed. Luke v. 16. and again : He continued all night in 
His prayer to God. Luke vi. 12. 

2 Examples of the second kind of private prayer are the following : 
Moses at the Eed Sea, when he encouraged the children of Israel, and 
bade them trust in the Lord, made no prayer with his lips, but called upon 
God with his heart only, and was heard. Why dost thou cry unto Me P 
said the Lord. Exod. xiv. 15. Another excellent instance there is in what 
we read of Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel : She prayed, the 
Scripture saith, in her heart ; hut her voice ivas not heard: and answering 



ox THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 247 

for herself she says to the Priest : / pour out my soul before the Lord. 
1 Kings i. 13, 15. On the same subject see also Xehem. ii. 4. 

XI. 

Private prayer wlieu made in tlie fii'st vr^j, is called oral, 
or oidvjard, but "wlien raade in the last_, imvard, or mental ; 
and this latter of itself^ even without the oral^ is efficacious, 
well-pleasing to God_, and profitable to the soul that prays ; as 
the examples and commandments cited above prove. But 
outward and oral prayer,, if it be without the inward, is of 
no value : nay, further, if it be so made willingly, that is, 
through hypocrisy, and not through mere natural infirmity, 
it is abomination in the sight of the Lord, and hurtful to 
the soul of him that prays ; for his prayer is turned into sin. 
Mat. vi. 5. Luke xviii. 11. 

XII. 

The inward prayer of the heart may at all times be offered 
up in thought, by the spirit, and by faith : wherefore, the 
devout man, that fears God, may every where, and in all his 
works that he does, practise it ; and indeed he is bound so to 
do, according to the command of the Apostle, praying ahoays 
in the spirit ; (Ephes. vi. 18.) and nothing can hinder him, 
(Rom. viii. 35.) if only he have a hearty zeal toward God, and 
a Hvely sense of His omnipresence. For, in such a state of 
spirit, what can hinder a man from saying in his heart, Have 
mercy upon me God ! God help me ! and the like ? 

XIIL 

Yet, though spiritual prayer without oral be efficacious, 
while oral without spiritual can never be so, it is by no means 
allowable to stop short at mental or inward prayer, and neg- 
lect that which is oral. Man is compounded of soul and body ; 
and therefore is bound with his body also, as well as with 
his spirit, to pray, and give glory to God. (1 Cor. \i. 20.) 
Wherefore also holy David exclaims ; Give ear to my words, 
O Lord : HearJcen unto the voice of my cry, my King and my 
God I and our Lord, when He taught His disciples to pray, 



248 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, said thus : When ye pray, say: (Luke xi. 2.) This is said of 

'- — words and speech proceeding from the hps and body, without 

excUiding what is inward and spiritual, both by the Lord, and 
by David : and this truth is most strongly estabhshed both 
by the examples left us of our S ardour Himself, (John xvii. 
Mat. xxvi. 39. 42. Acts i. 24, iv. 24, &c.) and also by those 
of the Prophets, and by the Psalms of David. Wherefore, as 
we ought to pray in our hearts always, so should we also at 
fit times pray with our lips too, as well as with our hearts. 

XIV. 

But to the end that oral prayer, whether public or private, 
be not turned into sin to them that make it, nor that be said 
of Christians now, which was said of old of the Jews, This peo- 
ple honour eth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from 
Me ; (Mat. xv. 8.) it is requisite that we strive and labour»with 
all our souls, that our oral prayers be preceded and accom- 
panied by the inward prayer of the heart, and never at any 
time disjoined from it\ 

1 This we may do in the following way : When we dispose ourselves 
bodily for prayer, we should also prepare and present our whole soul before 
the Lord : when we bend our knees, we should bend with them the knees 
of the heart : when we raise our hands, and lift up our eyes on high, we 
should, together with them, lift np all the thoughts of our hearts; as it is 
written : Let us lift up our hearts ivith our hands unto God the Most High 
to the heavens : Lam. iii. 41. lastly, when we say with our lips, Have 
mercy upon me, O God ! we should likewise cry out with our whole heart, 
Have mercy upon me, O God ! and so the words of our lips and the medi- 
tation of our heart, will be acceptable in the sight of the Lord. Ps. xix. 14. 

XV. 

Prayer, as we have said, both public and private, is always 
to be offered in spirit, and in truth ; and our heavenly Father 
Himself expects this of us. (John iv. 23.) But what mean 
these words, in spirit, and in truth ? According to the gene- 
ral sense of the Doctors of the Church, to pray in spirit is 
to pray with faith, with fear and love of God, and with the 
deepest humility and contrition of heart ; and to pray in 



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truth is to pray with attention, and with the understanding, part 
not feignedly, nor only outwardly \ — 

1 By this section every one may examine himself, and see how he prays ; 
whether it be in spirit and truth, or only with the lips. If any one have 
not in his heart a movement of devotion towards God, that is, have not fear 
and love, then he prays not in spirit ; and if, besides, he does not attend 
with the understanding to his prayers, then neither does he pray in truth. 
And thus every one should watch himself, and if he find in himself any thing 
wanting of the requisites to true prayer, he will be able easily, by the 
aid of God's grace, to correct the fault. 

XVI. 

This rule of the Gospel is sinned against by all those, who 
make their prayers to consist in mere movements of the body, 
as, in much speaking, or frequent repetition, and in mere 
outward bowings, kneelings, or prostrations, while they have 
within no manner of warmth towards God, nor seek to have, 
but say one thing, and think another. Still more do they 
sin, who pray hypocritically, merely to appear before men to 
pray, but have not God in their thoughts. Wherefore, all 
such ought, for the amendment of their prayers, to have ever 
in their memory this rule ; God is a Spirit, and he that wor- 
shippeth Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 
iv. 24. 

IN ORDER THAT OUR PRAYERS, WHETHER PRIVATE OR 
PUBLIC, MAY ALWAYS BE OFFERED IN SPIRIT AND IN 
TRUTH, WE SHALL HERE SET FORTH SOME ASSISTANCES 
WHICH WILL BE FOUND PROFITABLE. 

XVII. 

First: When we are about to approach God, either in 
public or in private, and would call upon His wonderful and 
holy Name, let us reflect on His tremendous Majesty, and 
His unsearchable omnipresence; let us reflect too on our own 
vileness, and poverty; considering Who, and What is our 
God, who, and what are we ourselves. He is a Spirit, im- 
mortal, all-pure, all-good, seeing through our inmost soul and 
thoughts : but we are clothed with flesh, mortal, evil, and in 



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CHAP, our thouglits unclean in His sight. Wherefore^ we ought 

'- — to purify ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, 

and so with all possible devotion and awe call upon His 
Name; For our God is a consuming fire ; (Heb. xiii. 28.) and 
His Name is great, wonderful, and Holy. Ps. xcix. 3. 

XVIII. 

Secondly : as may be concluded from the above : If our 
God is an all-pure Spirit, and His Name wonderful, and 
holy, it follows that every one who prays should diligently 
reflect, I. Upon God, that He is so holy and just, that He 
cannot endure even the slightest impurity or unrighteous- 
ness : Thou art the God that hast no pleasure in wickedness : 
(Ps. V. 4.) II. Upon himself, examining whether he be 
truly and heartily sorry for his sins, and repent him of 
them before the Lord, or sin over and over again without 
ceasing : for God heareth not impenitent sinners : (John 
ix. 31.) TJie blood-thirsty and deceitful man doth the Lord 
abhor: ^c. but if any one be a worshipper of God, that 
is, flee unto God with all his soul, and be sorry for his sins, 
and begin to do God^s will, him God heareth. III. Lastly, 
we should reflect also on that which we ask of God, and see 
that it be not contrary to His will, nor that saying applicable 
to us ; Ye knoiv not what ye ask. Mark x. 38. 

XIX. 

Thirdly : Besides the above reflections, we ought all and 
every one of us to have the following intentions : I. To render 
by our prayer due honour to God : Bring unto the Lord, O ye 
sons of God, glory and honour : (Ps. xxix. 1, 2.) II. To excite 
such emotions in oui' hearts, and preserve such dispositions 
of spirit, as are fitting from us towards the Divine Majesty 
and Holiness : (2 Cor. 1. 1 Pet. i. 16.) III. To testify 
from a pure heart true Gospel faith, lively hope, and ardent 
love to God : (Mark xii. 30.) lY. With such dispositions 
of spirit, to lay before God the wishes of our heart, or our 
petitions for good gifts, with the profoundest humility and 
devotion. (See Luke x™. 13. of the Publican ; and Mat. 



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viii. 9. of the Centurion.) V. But with all this we must not part 

. . I. 
trust m ourselves^ nor in our prayers, but solely in our Lord 

J esus Christ, and in His mercy : For all the promises of God 

in Him are Yea, and in Him, Amen. 2 Cor. i. 20. 

XX. 

Fourthly : Our God being so very merciful, long-suffering, 
and of such great goodness, more ready to stretch out His 
hands to give, than we ours to receive, and every day and 
hour pouring out upon us His bounties, giving us breath, 
and life, and all things profitable for the enjoj^ment of 
life, (1 Tim. vi. 17.) and delivering us from all evil, who is 
there, that can consider and weigh these so great benefits, 
without having his whole heart and soul stirred up to pray 
to God ? Holy David meditating on this from the depth of 
his soul cries out. Praise the Lord O my soul, and all that is 
within me praise His holy Name ! and burning with vehement 
warmth of love to God, repeats the same; Praise the Lord 
my soul, and forget not all His benefits ! Ps. ciii. 1, 2. 

XXI. 

Fifthly: The thought of God's inconceivable love is a 
powerful assistance towards praying in spirit and in truth to 
any one, who once receives it into his mind : So God loved the 
world, saith Christ, that He gave even His Own Son for us. 
(John iii. 16.) This love it was, which inflamed the Apostle, 
when he said of himself, and of all others like him. Who 
shall separate us from the love of God ? shall tribulation, or 
distress, or peril, or sword? Nothing. But looking unto 
Jesus ^ Who suffered for us, and seeing here that love of God, 
which passeth all understanding, he prays in spirit and in 
truth, seeking to teach us also to do the same : For this 
cause, he says, I bow my knees to my heavenly Father, that 
He would grant you . . to know the love of Christ which 
passeth knoivledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness 
of God. Ephes. iii. 19. 

1 Whosoever now in like manner will look with all his soul unto our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Who suffered for us, and consider His suft'erings, His 



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C^P. death, burial, and resurrection, wherein, as in a picture, he sees his own 

justification most lively represented, he cannot certainly hut pray with all 

his heart, and with all his mind. For his heart will then he so touched by 
Christ's love, that he will almost forget himself, and rise to such a pitch 
in prayer, that he will pray now no longer with words, but rather with 
tears, as St. Basil and St. Augustine say ; not with breath but rather with 
sighs ; and what his heart will then feel, and his soul see, his tongue will 
not be able to express. Thus absorbed was holy David, when he cried ; 
Whom have I in heaveii, or ivhat desire I upon the earth hut Thee F My 
heart faileth, ^c. Ps. Ixxiii. 25. And the Apostle, smitten with the arrow 
of this same love, says ; / am assured that neither death, nor life, nor 
angels, nor any other creature shall he ahle to separate us from the love of 
God, ivhich is in Christ Jesus. Kom. viii. 38, 39. 

XXII. 

Sixthly : Great assistance to true prayer will be found in 
God's promises^ if we truly and firmly believe tbemj the 
more, that througb them Gospel faith is increased in men_, 
love grows, and hope is established immoveable. Examples 
of this we have in Abraham, (Rom. iv. 20, 21.) and in others. 
(Heb. xi.) By this means a man is stirred up to true prayer. 
For the very relation which there is between the promises 
and their accomplishment lead to this : there being no other 
way by which we can obtain the accomplishment of God's 
promises, than by true prayer. 

XXIII. 

Seventhly : Owing to natural infirmity, and other .circum- 
stances, a man's spirit is sometimes so weak and deficient, 
and his heart so petrified, that he cannot bring himself to 
make the meditations above-mentioned, nor think of God's 
mercy, love, and promises, but requires something special to 
stir up and improve his heart. Under such circumstances, 
we ought to force ourselves to pray orally, even though our 
heart refuse^; recalling to mind Christ's words; The Kingdom 
of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force : 
(Mat. xi. 12.) and again : St7^ive to enter in at the strait 
■ gate, for many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 
(Luke xiii. 24.) And to aid us in meditating on these words 
of Christ, we may use as a prayer what David says ; My soul 



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cleaveth unto the dust: quicken Thou me according to Thy part 

word. My soul is asleep for very heaviness : strengthen Thou '- — 

me in Thy ivords. Take from me the ivay of unrighteousness , 
and through Thy laio he gracious unto me. (Ps. cxix. 25, 28, 
29.) quicken us, and we shall call upon Thy Name. 
(Ps. Ixxx. 19.) By this kind of compulsion a man will 
throngh oral prayer go on to that which is inward, and will 
begin to pray in spirit and in truth : and so the one assists 
the other, by the co-operation of the Holy Ghost 2. 

1 St. Macarius, in his discourse on Keeping the Heart, ch. xiii., writes 
thus : Every one ought to do his utmost to force himself to abide continually 
in prayer, ever begging and expecting, that the Lord will come and make His 
abode ivithin him, and teach and confirm him in all His commandments, 
and that his soul may become the temple of Jesus Christ : and further on in 
the same chapter: And so God, seeing him striving, and forcibly compelling 
himself to irhat is good, even though his heart be reluctant, gives him the 
grace of true prayer. 

2 St. Augustine, in his treatise on The Departed, ch. v., has these words : 
Outward and oral prayer cannot be true loithout that which is inward ; and 
even the inivard prayer of the heart u-ithout the oral fails, and dies away ; but 
when joined with oral prayer, it increases, and ivaxes more earnest. 

Oral prayer then especially leads him, that prays, to inward prayer of 
the heart, when he attends devoutly and with faith to the words of his 
prayer ; for the sense, that lies in the words, and the power of the spirit, 
that is in them, stir up our hearts and souls ; and so he who prays will 
begin to pray in spirit and in truth. And as regards this topic, to the end 
that the assistance thus sought may be efficacious, we should be careful 
that we utter not the words of our prayer too rapidly ; according to the 
injunction in holy Scripture; Be not hasty tvith thy mouth; and let not 
thine heart hurry to utter any thing before God. Eccles. v. 2. 

XXIV. 

Eighthly : Reflection on past sins, and the sense of God^s 
anger against us for them, with the recollection of the ter- 
rible judgment, and the thought of punishment to come, is 
no shght assistance to prayer : for all these things move very 
powerfully man^s heart, and drive him to ask mercy of God. 
Such was the meditation of holy David, when he turned to 
the Lord, and cried; Lord, rebuke me not in Thine in- 
dignation, neither chasten me in Thy heavy displeasure. Heal 



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CHAP, me, Lord; for my bones are vexed: my soul also is sore 
troubled, &c. Ps. vi. 1. 3. 

XXV. 

Ninthly : The agency of the Spirit of God is the chief and 
most potent aid to prayer. For the Holy Ghost^ as the 
Apostle preaches^ helpeth us in our infirmities. For, we know 
not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Itself 
maketh ititercession for us with groanings which cannot be 
uttered. (Eom. viii. 26.) And so with this teacher and guide, 
even the Spirit of God, all the above-mentioned meditations 
will be profitable, and of force ; and the Spirit of God will 
Himself co-operate with them, directing and preparing our 
hearts to pray, as we ought. (Ezek. xxx^d. 26.) Wherefore, 
all who pray ought to ask of the Lord the Holy Spirit, that 
He may teach us true prayer : and, for ourselves, we should 
give diligent heed with all our soul, that we neither by deed, 
nor word, nor thought against the motions of the Holy Spirit 
offend Him, and so grieve Him ; remembering the injunction 
given us ; Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are 
sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephes. iv. 30. 

XXVI. 

Seeing then that our God is every where present, and 
fiUeth all things ; and that His name is a name great, and 
terrible, and holy; and those prayers, which are offered in 
spirit and in truth, are accepted of Him ; do thou, O man, 
mortal, and sinful, when thou drawest near to the throne of 
the Divine Majesty, and wouldest call upon Him, lay aside 
all earthly thoughts : consider that thou art standing before 
His face, and He looking through thy heart : fall down 
devoutly on thy face to the ground before thine Almighty 
and All-merciful Maker and Saviour : give unto Him that 
honour and glory, which it becometh : testify unto Him thy 
faith and love, due to Him alone : confess thine own unwor- 
thiness and wretchedness, like Manasseh, like the Publican, 
and the Prodigal son : and so, for the sake of His Holy 
Name, ask Him to bestow on thee His good gifts. 



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XXVII. 

The good gifts of God are twofold ; spiritual, and temporal. 
Spiritual are, tlie knowledge of God, and of His law ; faith 
in Christ Jesus ; repentance ; remission of sins ; and the like : 
for which see Section vii. Temporal are, health of body, meat, 
drink, and clothing ; which are all strictly necessary. To the 
same belong riches, honour, glory, and length of days. 

XXVIII. 

That the above-mentioned good gifts ought to be asked by 
us from God, we are, besides other proofs, clearly taught by 
the Lord^s prayer itself. That prayer is both to aU generally, 
and to each one of us personally, a perfect rule and lesson, 
how to pray : for it prescribes prayer for blessings both 
spiritual and temporal, and mentions by name what those 
blessings are, which we should pray for. 

XXIX. 

And here it will not be unprofitable to say something of 
the Lord^s Prayer. It is brief indeed, but yet in its brevity 
takes in^ aU necessary petitions, which refer to man's life 
either in time, or in eternity. 

1 Our Saviour Jesus Christ in the Prayer, which He has given us, has 
prescribed, I. That, before every thing else, we ask of our heavenly Father 
that His Name be sanctified: Halloived be Thy Name. God's Name is 
indeed holy in itself, and the source of holiness : but we in this petition 
pray that He would be pleased to teach us, and vouchsafe this, that we also 
may hallow His wonderful and holy Name ; that is, know, love, invoke, and 
glorify It. Now God's Name is hallowed and honoured in us, and we 
sanctified in Him and by Him, when we know Him from His works ; 
when we confess Him to be eternal, and almighty ; all-wise, and all-good ; 
just, and very merciful ; when we admire His wonders, and His unsearch- 
able providence over om-selves ; and most sensibly acknowledge Him as the 
sole author and giver of all the good, spiritual and temporal, which we 
enjoy in this life ; and give Him thanks, praising Him, and saying, Holy, 
Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth ! and, with all this, regulate our thoughts 
and works, and our life itself, to the honour and glory of His Name. 

But since we are of ourselves unable thus to hallow God's Name, we 
are directed, besides the first petition for this, to add another, as for 
the means to this end, asking of God for His Kingdom ; II, Thy 



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ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. Kingdom come. The Kingdom of God is an everlasting Kingdom^ and His 

'- — dominion is throughout all generations : Ps. cxlv. 13. but we here ask not 

this Kingdom, hut the Kingdom of grace, Coh)ss. i. 13, and the Kingdom 
of glory ; that is, that He would reign in us by the true faith of the Gospel, 
and that the sin of unbelief may have no place in us; that the Holy 
Ghost may guide us into all truth ; John xvi. 13. producing in us spiritual 
fruits ; Gal. v. 22. and that our evil propensities may not have dominion 
over us ; Rom. vi. 14, that, besides the wickedness of unbelief, the Lord 
keep from us also a life of transgression, and grant us in stead that the 
kingdom of His grace grow up in us day by day, both by evangelical doc- 
trine and faith, and also by a life agreeable to the same ; and that so, after 
this mortal life. He would make us inheritors of His everlasting Kingdop 
of glory in Heaven. 

But since neither can this Kingdom of grace be established in us, nor the 
brightness of His glory enlighten our hearts, until the darkness of sloth 
and the veil of disobedience be taken away from our souls, 2 Cor. iii. 1 6. 
and until we be in our Lord's sight obedient in all things, for this reason we 
are directed. III. to ask our heavenly Father, that He would give us 
the gift of obedience ; that is, that He would put into our hearts the desire 
and the power to do His will. And so by these words. Thy ivill he done as 
in heaven so also on earthy we ask our Father, not that He should do, what 
He willeth, but that we may be enabled to do, and do in fact, what He 
willeth of us. But what He willeth is this, that we should all he saved, and 
come to the knowledge of the truth ; 1 Tim. ii. 4. that we should hear His 
word., and helieve in Him ; John vi. 29. and do His will, which leadeth us 
into the path of everlasting salvation, not in any manner that may happen, 
but after the pattern of the Angels in heaven. By this mean given from 
God the Kingdom of grace is established in us ; and by the grace of the 
Holy Ghost reigning in us we can easily hallow God's Name. And thus, 
as the Apostle says, an entrance is given us abundantly into the everlasting 
Kingdom of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. i. 11. 

But that we, while seeking the above spiritual gifts, may not be any wise 
hindered by the need of temporal good things ; and that we may be enabled 
to lead our mortal life, under the shelter of God's goodness, in tranquillity ; 
we are directed to add to our petitions for those other blessings one for 
temporal good things; TV. Give us this day our bread for subsistence. 
In this petition under the name of bread is to be understood eveiy thing 
needful and profitable, every thing, without which human life and society 
cannot continue : and so all sciences, arts, and branches of industry, and 
governments themselves, which serve to the well-being of human society, are 
herein included. And though the Lord of His mercy even without our 
asking gives to all breath, and life, and 7neat in due season; Ps. cxlv. 15, 16. 
and ordaineth in nations the higher Powers; Rom, xiii. 1. and through them 



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257 



implants sciences and arts; Dan. ii. 21. Piov. viii. 14. still He, the PART 

Same, sometimes, of His rig-liteoiis judgments, to punish men for their in- '■ — 

gratitude and for the multiplication of iniquity, takes away either in part 
or, it may he, altogether these good things. Is. iii. 2, 3. Therefore, we in 
this petition ask Him, that He would day hy day give us all things needful 
and profitable for this present life ; that is, that He would give us temperate 
seasons, and the increase of the fruits of the earth ; that He would bless our 
labours, and industry, and keep us in health and strength of body ; and so 
ensure the welfare of the whole community. And not only do we ask Him 
for this, but we imply at the same time, and under the same words, the 
further prayer, that we may be enabled to use all these blessings to good, 
to His glory, and to the sanctification of His Name. 

But since we have a great hindrance to the attainment of good things, 
temporal no less than spiritual, in our sins ; (for through our sins we are 
often deprived of every good ;) to the end that we may not suffer thus, we 
are directed, fifthly^ to ask of God pardon and remission of sins : Forgive us 
our debts, as ive also forgive our debtors. This petition leads us to repentance 
of all that we have done amiss. And as our Lord is very good, and loves 
us. He cannot but desire that we also should in this imitate Him ; and 
therefore He gives us to understand, that our debts are then forgiven, when 
we also ourselves forgive our debtors. Mat. vi. 14, 15. Wherefore, we 
ought, as the Apostle teaches us, to be folloivers of God, as dear children; 
Ephes. V. 1. and so be hind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one 
another, even as we also desire to obtain forgiveness from God. Ephes. iv. 
32. In this way, and by this petition, Christ hath taught us how to rid 
ourselves of our first and greatest hindrance. 

There are however, besides sin, other hindrances also, and particularly, 
all temptations and scandals, inward and outward, that is, of the flesh, the 
world, and the devil, by which man, either through the senses or without 
the senses, is inveigled into the commission of sin : and so the temptations 
that we have named draw us away from God's will, and from His kingdom, 
and keep us from hallowing His Name. And since we are unable of our 
own strength to stand against them, and to repel them, we are for this 
cause directed in the siicth and seventh petitions of the Lord's Prayer, to 
ask deliverance and protection both from all temptation, and from every 
evil work, and also from our invisible enemy himself, the devil, who is 
ever seeking to devour us: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us 
from the evil. 

The Preface and the Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer contain what is 
specially adapted to comfort us, and to incite and confirm in us a good hope. 
The Preface, Our Father which art in Heaven ; sets before us the incon- 
ceivable mercy of God, which has vouchsafed to make us, unworthy as we 
are. His sons, John i. 12, and heirs of His everlasting good things in 

s 



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ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. Heaven. Kora. viii. 18. and the conclusion, For Thine is the kingdom, 
— — — the power ^ and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen, is replete with the 
strongest encouragement, and with immortal hope ; since He, our Father, 
is the sole Lord of heaven and earth, everlasting, and Almighty -. His is the 
kingdom, His the power. His the glory, for ever : and therefore, if we call 
upon Him with faith and love, and by our obedience give Him honour and 
glory, then nothing can pluck us out of His hand ; and so He will give 
unto us eternal life. John x, 28, 29. 

XXX. 

This Prayer ought to be held in the more honour, because 
it is the Lord Himself, who has given it to us, and in brief 
but wonderful order included in it all those petitions, which 
are necessary. And therefore it is the duty of all, without ex- 
ception, to learn it, and labour to understand it, and to use it 
with the deepest devotion not only every evening and morning, 
on rising up and lying down, but at all times, and on all occa- 
sions. And this is required of us by those words of Christ, 
When ye pray, pray thus. 

XXXI. 

There are also other Prayers written in holy Scripture both 
for our instruction, and for our use ; as that of the publican, 
God be merciful to me a sinner ! (Luke xviii. 13.) of the 
prodigal son, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before 
Thee, ^c.; (Luke xv. 21.) of the thief on the cross, who 
prayed. Lord, remember me, when Thou comest into Thy king- 
dom ! (Luke xxiii. 42. &c.) These short prayers we may use, 
and ought to use, in asking God to pardon our sins. 

XXXII. 

Beside the Lord^s Prayer, and others, it is not contrary to 
the Lord^s will, but agreeable to Him, to ask God^s mercy, 
whether for ourselves or for our brethren, in any such words 
as the circumstances and necessities of the case itself may 
suggest. We have many examples to teach us this ; as that of 
the ten lepers, who sought to be cleansed ; (Luke xvii. 13.) and 
that of the Centurion, who wished that his servant should be 



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259 



healed: (Mat. viii. 8.) and many others likewise used their part 

own wordsj and those few but suitable for their needs ; and '- — 

every one of them obtained what he sought : and so now also, 
whatever may be any man^s necessity, he ought not to look 
about for many words, but call upon the Lord with those, 
which the case itself and the warmth of his heart prompts. 

XXXIII. 

It has been clearly enough shewn above, that we ought to 
ask both spiritual and temporal goods from God : but we 
must understand withal that spiritual good things are ne- 
cessary and profitable to man both for this temporal life, 
and also for that which is eternal ; for theij have the promise 
of the life which now is, and of that ivhich is to come ; while 
bodily or temporal goods are profitable only for this present 
life. (1 Tim. iv. 8.) "Wherefore, we ought undoubtedly to 
desire and ask spiritual blessings at all times ; but blessings 
temporal and bodily, only so far as it may please our Lord, 
and be not hurtful to ourselves, but for our good, and to the 
glory of His Name. 

XXXIV. 

If any one ask any thing diligently from the Lord, and 
even others too, it may be, are entreating God^s goodness for 
the same thing, but yet he receive not his petition, such a one 
should not faint ; but should consider accurately what it is 
that he asks ; whether it be any thing temporal ; or spiritual. 
If it be spiritual, and necessary to salvation, let him again and 
again unceasingly ask it, with faith and patience, and it shall 
be given him. But if it be any thing temporal, let him not 
murmur against the Lord, but in that case resign himself to 
His will and providence : for we cannot foresee the future_, so 
as to know whether what we ask will be for our good, or for 
our harm. But the Lord, Who is omniscient, and all-wise, 
foresees all things; (Ps. cxxxix. 2, 3.) and, being good and 
merciful. He of His goodness gives us not that which is 
hurtful. And therefore, when we receive not what we wish, 

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CHAP, we ought not to be vexed, but rather ought to give God 
— - — thanks, that He indulges us not therein to our hurt. 

XXXV. 

Nor ought vre in such case to think that our prayers have 
been in vain, if they have been offered in spirit and in truth : 
for the Lord mercifully hears us, and accepts them, but instead 
of temporal blessings returns us spiritual ; and if not in this 
present, yet in the world to come repays us abundantly. 
(Rom. ii. 6, 7.) For He is a just Judge, and merciful; and 
therefore to all, who call upon Him in truth. He recompens- 
eth a crown of righteousness in the last day. 2 Tim. iv. 8. 

XXXVI. 

When we pray, we should add to our prayers diligence and 
patience ^ of our own : that is to say, he who prays to the 
Lord for any good thing, should himself also at the same time 
labour for the same, using all proper means, and avoiding all 
hindrances; and at the same time should have patience to abide 
constantly in that his labour and diligence, no less than in his 
prayers. And watchful and unremitting continuance in this 
is what both the Gospel enjoins, (Luke xii. 36. Coloss. iv. 2. 
1 Thess. V. 17.) and man^s natm'e itself absolutely requires. 
For he has become carnal since the fall, sold under sin: 
what he loould, that he doth not ; and what he hates, that he 
doth : (Uom. vii. 14, 15.) Wherefore, to the end that he may 
by God's grace be enabled to mend his condition, that is, 
soften the fierceness and tyranny of sin, bridle and mortify 
the force of evil inclinations, (Coloss. iii. 5.) and lead a virtuous 
life, and so by the grace of Christ Jesus be made free from 
the law of sin and death, (Rom. 2.) it is absolutely 

necessary for him to continue ever in prayers, and to add 
thereto all manner of diligence and labour of his own. 

1 Our Lord said, ,• and so enjoined prayer: but when He added, 
Seek, and Knock, He thereby shewed that we are to join with prayer 
labour, diligence, and patience. And this we must perseveringly con- 
tinue to do, not only in seeking spiritual blessings, but also in seeking 
those that be temporal. 



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261 



XXXVII. 

It is tlie duty of us all, and of every one of us_, to pray and 
labour not for himself alone_, but also for otters; according to 
that injunction, Pray ye one for another, that ye may be 
healed: (James v. 16.) and not merely one for another, 
but also for our enemies ; whom we are bound to love, how- 
ever much our hearts may be averse from doing so. The 
Lord says. Love your enemies : and this love He describes by 
its effects ; that is. Bless them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you 
and persecute you, (Mat. v. 44.) And so, it is our duty to 
pray for all men. 

XXXVIII. 

While we pray ourselves, we ought also to ask our brethren 
to assist us with the like prayers ; after the example of the 
Apostle: (Ephes. vi. 19. 1 Thess. iii. 1.) and more especially 
should we ask the prayers of our spiritual fathers of the 
Priestly Order; of which in the Old Testament in the Levitical 
books, and elsewhere, we repeatedly read, that every one, who 
brought sin offerings, was to appear by God^s command before 
the Priest, that the Priest might pray for him; and so he 
should be pardoned. In the New Testament the same is in 
the Epistle of James the Apostle confirmed : Is any sick, he 
writes, among you, let him call for the presbyters of the Church, 

and let them pray over him, and if he have committed 

sins, they shall be forgiven him. James v. 15. 

XXXIX. 

In like manner, to desire and ask tlie same aid and help, 
the prayers, that is, of the Saints, the servants and friends of 
God, who now reign with Christ their Lord, is a righteous 
and holy thing, that they too may join with us and for us in 
offering prayers to God for the forgiveness of sins. And when 
we repent and amend our lives, and receive pardon and mercy 
from the Lord, we may be sure that they too joy over us, as 
well as the Angels that are in Heaven; as the Lord hath 
said. Luke xv. 7. . 10. 



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XL. 

And here we must needs speak of fasting, watching, and 
sobriety, all wliicli the word of God joins with prayer : Take 
heed, it is written, to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts 
be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness : (Luke xxi. 
34j 36J and again : Be ye sober, and watch unto prayer : 
(1 Pet. iv. 7.) and in another place : that ye may give your- 
selves to fasting, and to prayer. (1 Cor. vii. 5.) Wherefore we 
also ought in like manner to make our prayers, supplications, 
and thanksgivings, with watching and sobriety, and at proper 
seasons also with fasting ^ 

1 Fasting is of two kinds, civil and religious : the first kind is otherwise 
called philosophical or natural ; and, so far as prescribed by medical rules, 
falls under the head of Diet : but the second kind, the religious or eccle- 
siastical fast, is a holy and Christian observance. The difference between 
the two is this : the first depends solely on our own choice, and its object 
is to preserve health, and enable us to perform our duties ; but the eccle- 
siastical fast depends on Divine precept, and so on faith and piety. The 
purpose of this kind is to humble ourselves before God, to subdue the 
force of carnal affections, to assist us in true repentance, in prayer, in 
Divine Worship, and in other duties, and in obtaining mercy and grace 
from God; as we are taught by many passages and examples in God's 
word. 

XLI. 

Fasting is abstinence from all kind of meat and drink ; at 
the very least from all that is pleasant or superfluous : and 
such a fast as this was ordained by God Himself in the Old 
Testament to be observed at the yearly purification ^ : And 
this, He saith, shall be a statute for ever unto you : ye shall 
afflict your souls with fasting. (Lev. xvi. 29. 31.) And ac- 
cording to the example of this statute, whenever the Israel- 
ites repented before God, they always humbled their souls 
with fasting : The children of Israel, it is written, ivere assem- 
bled with fasting, and with sack-clothes, and earth upon their 
heads and confessed themselves to the Lord, and wor- 
shipped the Lord their God. Nehem. ix. 1. 3. Also see 1 Kings 
vii. 6. Jer. vi. 9. 

1 Some holy fathers and doctors of the Church find the beginning of 



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263 



fasting in paradise. St. Chrysostom, Serm. i. on Gen., writes thus : As PART 

gluttonous appetite is the source of evils innumerable to mankind, so also is — 

fasting, and the non-indulgence of the appetites of the helbj, the constant 
source to us of unspeakable benefits. Wherefore God, tvhen He had first 
made man, and knew that this tvas the medicine he would most need for 
his sotd's salvation, gave him, even at the very beginning of all, this first 
commandment, saying ; ' Of every tree that is in the garden thou mayest 
eat ; hut of the tree of good and evil thou shalt not eatJ By these words, 
''Of this thou may eat, but of that thou shalt not eat ^ fasting was insti- 
tuted. St. Basil, Serm. i. on Fasting, traces it to tlie same beginning. 

XLII. 

Especially was fasting joined with prayer by all in the Old 
Testament, when the Lord by His just judgment was pre- 
paring to bring any signal punishment on sinners. But 
even in this case. He Himself, solely of His love to mankind, 
willing to correct the children of Israel, and to turn away 
His own just wrath, ordered all to fast and pray : Blow the 
trumpet y He saith, in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assem- 
bly , gather the people, sanctify the congregation. (Joelii. 15, 
16.) And such a public fast, joined with prayer, was ever 
an effectual mean to deliverance; as appears plainly from 
the same chapter, where the Lord, seeing them praying with 
fasting and weeping, turned His anger into mercy : And the 
Lord, it is written, ivas jealous for His land, and spared His 
people. lb. ver. 18, 19, 20. And ch. iii. 5. 10. 

XLIIL 

In the New Testament our Lord and Lawgiver Jesus 
Christ Himself fasted : (Mat. and Luke iv.) and in defending 
His disciples before the Pharisees He exempted them from 
fasting only while the Bridegroom should be with them; but 
for all remaining time, after the Bridegroom should be taken 
away from them, He distinctly confirmed the duty. (Mat. ix. 
14, 15. Luke v. 33, 34, 35.) Further, he instructed us how 
to fast, so that our fasting should not be like that of the 
Pharisees, nor have its reward from men, but from God. 
(Mat. vi. 16. 18.) And again, how great is the power and 
benefit of fasting the same great Physician of our souls and 



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Ci^. bodies has sufficiently shewn, when for the expulsion of a 

— devilj which had settled itself in a man, He prescribed no 

other medicine, than prayer and fasting. Mat. xvii. 21. 

XLIV. 

Here we may remark, that fasting, as well as prayer itself, 
is said to be a service pleasing to God : (Luke ii. 37.) for 
which cause the Apostles also, when they served the Lord, 
joined fasting with their prayers. (Acts xiii. 2.) A^Tierefore 
now likewise, the ministers of the Lord^s altar, and all who 
desire to serve or worship the Lord acceptably, in purity and 
sobriety, do only that which is becoming, and their duty, 
when they prepare themselves thereto, according to the 
measure of their bodily strength, by fasting. 

XLV. 

It is notorious to all, that it is upon this foundation, that 
is, upon the words of God, that Christ^s Church ^ of the New 
Testament has appointed yearly fasts, and particular days of 
abstinence*; solely to this end, that her children of the new 
Israel through prayer to God, with fasting and contrition of 
heart, and confession of their sins, may be brought to true 
repentance. And, consequently, the said fasts of the Church 
of the New Testament are nothing else, than appointed times 
for repentance, and days of yearly purification. 

1 The Christians of the first ages observed moderation and temperance 
always, and at fit seasons fasting also, joined with prayer, as the special 
marks among themselves of an honourable Christian life, and of decent 
civil society ; and at all times they abhorred luxuiy and excess. To this 
St. Clement of Alexandria, B. ii. Peed. ch. 1, 2, bears testimony. 

XLVI. 

But this is absolutely necessary, that he who keeps out- 
ward fasts, fast spiritually also : that is, he, who fasts and 
prays outwardly, must at the same time flee with his whole 
soul all sin and unrighteousness, and be on the contrary 
charitable and diligent in every good work. For prayer is 
good, with fasting, and alms, and rigliteousness. (Job xii. 8.) 
But if any man keep the fasts ever so strictly, while he is 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



265 



without charity and honesty to his neighbour, such a fast is part 

not acceptable to God : It is not such a fast as this that I — 

have chosen, saith the Lord, a day for a man to afflict his soul, 
nor to boio down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth 
and ashes under him ; nor shall ye call this an acceptable fast : 

For not such a fast have I chosen, saith the Lord : but, 

when thou fastest, break off every band of unrighteousness, 
cancel the obligation of extorted writings, let the oppressed go 
free, tear every unjust writing. Break thy bread to the hungry, 
and bring the poor that are unsheltered into thy house. If thou 
seest any naked, cover him, and despise not thy kindred of thy 
tribe. Then shall thou call in prayer, and God shall hear 
thee, and while thou art yet speaking, shall say. Here I am. 
(Isa. Iviii. 5 . . 9.) The like instruction is also given by the 
Lord through the prophet Zachariah. ch. vii. viii.^ 

1 See St. Chrysostom, Serm. iv., on Gen., for a very profitable disserta- 
tion on the same subject. 

XLVII. 

Where fasting and sobriety are not practised, but instead 
of them continual surfeiting in meat and drink, it cannot be 
but that innumerable mischiefs should be engendered, spiri- 
tual, no less than bodily. (James iv. 1.) In such persons that 
sanctification and honour, in which the Apostle admonishes 
every one to possess his vessel, will find no place; (1 Thess. 
iv. 4, 5, 7.) but they will become the dwelling-places only of 
fierce, brutal, and devilish passions : (Mat. xii. 44, 45.) as 
is shewn beyond all doubt by the dissoluteness and over- 
throw of Sodom, and by other examples \ 

1 St. Cbrysostom, Horn, i., on Gen., writes thus : See hoiv Divine 
Scriptii?'e ever reproves a life of indulgence ; and at one time says ; ' The 
people sat down to eat and drink, and. rose up to play : ' at another ; 
''Jeshurun ate and drank, grew fat, thick, and broad, and apostatized.' And 
the people of Sodom, beside their other sins, by this sin most of all drew 
dotvn upon themselves God's ivrath, and destruction from heaven : for hear 
what saith the prophet ; ' This urns the iniquity of Sodom, S^-c.'; for it ivas 
in fulness of bread and ivine, that they fell to lust after evil pleasures : and 
so intemperance is, as it loere, the source and root of all evils. 



266 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



XLVIII. 

To the end that we may be able to observe the order of 
prayer, and all that course of other duties which is connected 
with it, in their integrity, we have the greatest need of spiri- 
tual sobriety and vigilance : nor can we either neglect these 
duties as regards the body. This rule is prescribed us by 
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself : Take heed, He says, watch, 
and pray. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch. 
(Mark xiii. 33. 37. Mat. xxiv. 42.) and again : Behold, I come 
as a thief: blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his gar- 
ments, lest he walk naked. (Rev. xv. 16,) And the Apostles 
also, in the spirit of Christ^ s words, exhort us to the same : 
Be sober, they write, be vigilaiit : (1 Pet. v. 8.) and again; 
Let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. 
(1 Thess. V. 6.) Such watching and sobriety are no less 
necessary to Christians, than eyes^ are to our bodies, or the 
sensible light to our eyes. 

1 For the whole of man's life sobriety is so much the more necessary, 
because without it man cannot keep himself in order. It consists not only 
in this, that we he not overcharged ivith surfeiting^ and drunkenness, and 
the cares of this life; Luke xxi. 34. but also in keeping ourselves free 
from the inward passions of anger, envy, covetousness, and the like. For 
all these darken the intellectual eye of the heart, and deprive us of sound 
reason, no less than drunkenness. Wherefore the Apostles Peter and 
James exhort us to lay aside all malice and envy, and all filthiness and 
hypocrisy, and to gird up the loins of our minds, and to he soher to the end. 
1 Pet. i. 13. ii. 1. James i. 21. 

XLIX. 

All these things, fasting, watching, sobriety, and even our 
prayers themselves, night and day, and labours, and diligent 
exercises, are appointed in the Lord^s commandments solely 
for this end, that we by continuance in these things may 
be holy and blameless before God in the faith of the Gospel, 
and in love ; that is, may be filled with the fruits of the Holy 
Ghost. But if these be not found in us, then all our prayers 
and labours will profit us nothing whatever^ ; as the example 
of the five foolish virgins plainly shews. Mat. xxv. 11. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



267 



1 St. Macarius, in his first sermon on Keeping the Heart, ch. ix., writes PART 

thus: If ive he not adorned ivith humility, simplicity, and goodness, the ^ — 

form of prayer profits us nothing : and this ive say not of prayer only, hut 
also of every kind of exercise ; of all lahour, of virginity, of ivatching, and 
of every exercise and ivork ichatsoever, which may he jjerformed for the sake 
of virtue. If, I say, we do not find the fruits of love and -peace, joy, 
meekness, humility, of sincerity and simplicity, of faith and patience 
ahounding in ourselves, all our works and exercises are vain and unprofit- 
ahle. For every ivork, and every exercise, ought to he undertaken for the 
sake of these fruits : and if the fruits of love and peace he not found in us, 
all ive do remains vain, and without effect. For they who lahour ivithout 
having these will appear like unto those five foolish virgins at the day of 
judgment. Those virgins, for that they took not from hence in the vessels 
of their hearts the spiritual oil, luhich means the ahove-mentioned virtues, 
are therefore named foolish, and refused entrance to the spiritual wedding 
of the King ; and all the trouhle they had taken to preserve their virginity, 
through the ivan t of spiritual virtue, and the ahsence in them of the manifest 
in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, are made of no account. 

L. 

Motives and excitements to prayer,, and to the performance 
of all the above-mentioned duties^ are the following : I. The 
commandments which God has given us to pray, mentioned 
in divers of the preceding sections : II. The exceeding mercy 
of God to them that pray j as it is written. For Thou Lord, 
art good and gracious, and of great mercy unto all them that 
call upon Thee, even unto them that call upon Thee m truth : 
(Ps. Ixxxvi. 5. cxlv. 18.) III. God^s most sweet and un- 
failing promises to hear prayer, and to grant forgiveness : 
For He is faithful. Who hath promised. (Heb. x. 23.) IV. Our 
Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and God everlasting 
before all worlds : (John i. I.) but He, the Same, as man is 
a mediator between God and men, having given Himself a 
ransom for all: (1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.) Who also maketh inter- 
cession for us; as the Apostle preaches. (Rom. viii. 34.) 
Wherefore, though we are of ourselves unworthy to ap- 
proach our heavenly Fa,ther, or ask Him for good things, 
yet through the intervention of so great a mediator, even 
Jesus Christ, we have access unto Him; (Ephes. ii. 18.) and 
He accepts our petitions. V. The Holy Spirit Itself heareth 



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ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, ivitness with our spirit, and helpeth us in our infirmities, and 
~ maketh intercessions for us with groanings which cannot be 
uttered. (Rom. viii. 16. 26.) YI. Even our common name 
of Christians must impel us to offer up in our thoughts to 
Qodi spiritual sacrifices of prayers and thanksgivings. (1 Pet. 
ii. 5, Q>, 7. Rom. xii. 1, 2. Rev. i. 6.) VII. Owing to the 
necessities and infirmities both of our souls and bodies, we 
need all of us and every one of us God^s help, and, by 
reason of our many sins, pardon also and mercy. VIII. The 
greatest punishments and miseries await those, who, from con- 
tempt of the Lord^s commandments and carelessness about 
the future, neglect to pray. All these reasons, which we have 
mentioned, have great weight ; and whoever will weigh them 
attentively will doubtless be roused from the sleep of sloth, 
and give himself diligently to prayer. 

LI. 

No less strong are those motives and incitements to prayer, 
which a man may find in its effects, or in the fruits which 
come of it : I. Prayer makes the Holy Ghost to dwell in the 
hearts of men. (Luke xi. 13.) II. By praj^er true faith grows 
up in man's soul, and increases. III. By prayer, as by a 
hand, we receive from the Lord aU good things, spiritual and 
temporal. IV. By prayer we overcome sin, dispel afflictions, 
feel comfort in our hearts, and are armed against divers 
temptations, and against the devil himself. V. By prayer 
lastly it is, that we obtain everlasting salvation; as it is 
written. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall 
be saved. (Acts ii. 21.) And he who gives himself to prayer 
shews thereby that he despises not God's promises, but is 
convinced that they are all to be highly valued, and that our 
God is faithful, and that there is no unrighteousness i?i Him. 

LII. 

On the other hand, how many and how great are the evils 
which ensue, wherever prayer is neglected, especially, if the 
neglect proceed from contempt and pride ! I. By such men 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



269 



God^s commandment is broken. II. By such men the ines- part 

timable promises of God^ instead of being appreciated^ are '■ — 

despised; and so despite is done to His mercy. III. In snch 
men the Holy Ghost can find no abiding place. IV. In such 
men faith gradually dwindles_, and at last quite goes out : for 
prayer is the food of faith, and of all other virtues. V. With 
such men there is boldness to do every thing shameful, and 
a rapid and easy descent from one sin to another : and such 
are exposed defenceless to many temptations, dangers, and 
calamities. YI. Such men deprive themselves of all God^s 
spiritual gifts, and so finally also of His kingdom ; all these 
things being given by God^s mercy through prayer. And 
therefore he, who of contempt and carelessness neglects to 
pray, has not yet really known his Lord, nor considered the 
Lord^s first commandments, as he ought to consider them. 
Of such we may well say, as God said of His people ; The ox 
knoiveth his owner, and the ass his master's crib : but Israel 
hath not known Me, My people hath not considered. Is. i. 3. 

LIII. 

It will be profitable here to mention briefly, that our 
prayers and theii- helps, as fasting, watching, and sobriety, 
are then efficacious, when they are offered and used, I. With 
faith, in spirit and in truth : All things, lohatsoever ye shall 
ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive : (Mat. xxi. 22.) II. In 
the name of Jesus Christ : Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
ivhatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name. He will give it 
to you : (John xvi. 23.) and the same is confirmed in many 
other places : III. In the fear of God : He ivill fulfil the 
desire of them that fear Him, and will hear their prayer, and 
ivill save them : (Ps. cxlv. 19.) lY. With humihty, and con- 
trition of heart : The sacynfice of God is a contrite spirit : a 
contrite and humble heart God ivill not despise: (Ps. li. 17. 
Ecclus. XXXV. 17.) Y. With the spirit of forgiveness and 
reconcihation towards our neighbours, as regards their offences 
against us : When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought 
against any ; that your Father may also forgive you : ^c. (Mat. 



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ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, V. 23.) VI. Without wrath or doubting : / will that men pray 

'■ — every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting : 

(1 Tim. ii. 8.) YII. If our petitions be agreeable to the will 
of Grod : If we ask any thing according to His will. He heareth 
us. I John V. 14. 

LIV 

It often happens that good ceases to be good, when it is 
done amiss : and so even prayer may be displeasing to God^ 
and its helps inefficacious_, and fruitless to him that prays ; 
I. When it is offered hypocritically : When thou prayest, 
be not as the hypocrites are : (Mat. vi. 5.) II. When it is 
offered without faith : He that wavereth is like a wave of the 
sea : let not that man think that he shall receive any thing 
of God: (James i. 6, 7.) III. When a man prays for any 
thing to a bad end : Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask 
amiss, that ye may consume it on your lusts : (James iv. 3.) 

IV. When he who prays is proud, and judges his neighbour : 
I am not as other men are, or as this publican : (Luke xviii. II.) 

V. When we forgive not our neighbours their trespasses : If 
ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father 
forgive you yours. Mat. vi. 15. xviii. 35. 

Furtlier, we ought to take special notice of two causes which will pre- 
vent God from hearing our prayers : I. When we turn away our ears from 
God's words, and will not listen to them, then the Lord also will turn away 
from us. And of this He speaketh Himself in the Proverbs with anger ; 
Because I have called, and ye woidd not hear, I made many ivords, and ye 
regarded not, hut set at nought My counsel, and would none of my reproof, 

I also ivill laugh at your destruction For it shall come to pass, when 

ye call upon Me, I will not hearken to you, ^c. Prov. i. 24.. .28. The same 
is confirmed by Isaiah, Ixv. 12. and by Jeremiah, vii. 13. xi. 7, 8. II. 
Secondly, though a man do hear the word of God, or read it himself, yet if 
he live not after God's law, nor ever repent him of his sins, neither in this 
case will the Lord accept his prayers, until he repent. This case is set 
forth by God Himself through the prophet Isaiah : When ye stretch forth 
your hands unto Me, I will turn away Mine eyes from you; and. though ye 
make many prayers, I will not hear you ; for your hands are full of blood. 
... And though ye bring Me the oblation of fine four, it is in vain; or 
incense, it is an abomination unto Me. Your fasts and your festivals My 
soul hateth : I cannot endure your sins. And afterwards He sets before 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



271 



them the means, that is, repentance, through which He will mercifully PART 
listen to the prayer of them, that intreat Him : Wash you, He saith, make ^' 

you clean : put away the evil from your souls before Mine eyes and 

though your sins he as scarlet, I tvill make them ivhite as snow, &^c. Is. i. 
23 . . 18. And therefore prayer must be accompanied with true repentance. 

LV. 

From aU the above propositions it must be clear that tbe 
making of prayer to the Lord^ whether publicly or privately, 
is an essential part of that service, which we owe to God ; and 
of such nature in itself, that whenever we duly perform it, we 
by the very act itself confess our true God to be indeed the 
God almighty, all-present, all- wise, and all-good ' : (This truth 
is grounded on the first four of the Lord^s commandments :) 
and by such confession, we shew forth on our own parts, that 
He, even this God, is our God ; that He made us, and not loe 
ourselves ; that we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 
Ps. c. 3. 

1 And not only do we come to such acknowledgment of our Creator by 
means of prayer, but also, by speaking to Him as children to their Father, 
and intreating His love, we receive from Him the power of the Holy 
Ghost, Which enlightens our mind, moves our heart, and teaches us ever 
to cry to Him, Ahha, Father ! And so drawing nigh to Him, we are made 
to be, as the Apostle writes, no longer strangers and pilgrims, but felloiu- 
citizens with the Saints, and of the household of God ; that is, God's own 
people. Ephes. ii. 19. 

LVI. 

Let no one then despise nor neglect prayer, which is one 
great mean appointed of God for our salvation : for all, from 
the least even to the greatest, are bound to call out of a pure 
heart on the Lord God almighty; (2 Tim. ii. 19. 22.) and so 
to offer to Him, and to Him alone, as is His due, all honour, 
glory, praise, thanksgiving, and worship; according to the 
commandment, Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and 
Him only shall thou serve, and to Him shall thou cleave. Mat. 
iv. 10. Deut. vi. 13. 



CHAPTER IV. 



OF 

PRAYER. 



PART 11. 
OF PRAYER, AS THE SPECIAL DUTY OF PRIESTS. 

IN THIS PART IT WILL BE PROPER TO POINT OUT : I. THOSE COMMAND- 
MENTS OF THE LORD WHICH MAKE MENTION OF PRAYER, AS THE 
SPECIAL DUTY OF PRIESTS: II. FOE, WHOM, FOR WHAT, AND AT WHAT 
TIMES THE PRIEST OUGHT TO PRAY : III. HOW THAT THE MINISTRY OF 
THE SACRAMENTS REQUIRES FROM THEM THAT MINISTER ABOUT THEM 
SPECIAL PRAYERS AND PREPARATIONS. 



I. 

CHAP. The Lord Himself, when He ordained in His Church of 

IV. 

tlie Old Testament the order of her service, appointed for it 

certain special persons, that is, Aaron and the Levites, and 
gave them commandment to pray : And this shall be unto 
you, He said, an everlasting statute, that ye pray for the 
children of Israel, and for all their sins : (Lev. xvi. 34.) and 
again : The Priest shall pray for all the congregation of the 
children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven. Nnm. xv. 25. 

II. 

In the New Testament, though the Lord has commanded 
aU to pray, without exception, yet this His commandment 
applies with double force to the Priestly order, inasmuch as 
it is appointed for His service. (Heb. v. 3.) More especially 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



273 



is this true in those cases, where He addressed the command- part 

II. 

ment directly to the Apostles : Ask, and ye shall receive, that 

your joy may be full. And a little before He had vouchsafed 
to point out the means : Verily, verily, I say unto you, ivhat- 
soever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it 
you. (John xvi. 23^ 24.) In like manner, before He suffered, 
He specially enjoined His disciples to pray : Why sleep ye ? 
He said ; rise and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. 
Luke xxii. 46. 

III. 

The Apostles, after the example of their Lord, whenever 
they mentioned that duty of teaching which was laid upon 
them, spoke also at the same time of prayer, as a duty in- 
separable from the other : But we, they say, loill give our- 
selves continually unto prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 
(Acts Yi. 4.) And the Apostle Paul, in his instructions to 
Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, exhorts and intreats Priests, 
all and every one of them, before all things to make prayers : 
My son Timothy, he writes, / exhort that, first of all, ye make 
prayers, supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all 
men; for kings, and for all that are in authority ^c. : (1 Tim. 
ii. 1, 2.) The Apostle James likewise mentions this same thing 
as the duty of the Priesthood : Is any one sick among you ? 
Let '^^ n call for the Presbyters of the Church, and let them 
pray over him. (ch. v. 14.) And thus both the Lord and His 
Apostles have clearly taught us that the duty of prayer is in 
a special manner laid upon the Priestly order, and is inse- 
parably conjoined with their other duty of teaching \ 

1 St. Chrjsostom, Horn. vi. on 1 Tim., has these words : The Priest is as 
■it icere a common father of the whole universe : for it is his duty to take 
thought for all. For this cause he saith : ' / exhort that f.rst of all ye make 
prayers, ^-c' 

IV. 

But for what, and for whom Priests, in virtue of this duty 
of prayer laid upon them, are bound to ask God^s goodness, 
is shewn us by the same commandments ; and also besides 

T 



274 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, by Christ's own example. He^ after His Last and mystical 
- — ^ — Supper, being our g7^eat High-priest of good things to come 
that is passed into the Heavens, (Heb. iv. 14. ix. 11.) as man 
prayed for us to the Father concerning the preaching of the 
Gospel, for the Apostles, and for all who should believe in 
Him : Father, I have given unto them the words which Thou 
gavest Me ; and they have received them, and have known surely 
that I came out from Thee . . Sanctify them in Thy truth : Thy 
Lvord is truth . . And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they 
also may be sanctified in truth. Neither pray I for these 
alone, but for them also ivhich shall believe on Me through their 
word . . Holy Father, keep them in Thine own Name . . Keep 
them from the evil. (John xvii. 8. 17. 19,20. 11. 15.) And 
besides this example of His own most holy prayer. He gave 
an express commandment to pray for the preaching of the 
Gospel : Pray ye. He said, the Lord of the harvest, that He 
would send forth labourers into His harvest. Mat. ix. 38. 

V. 

The Apostles did in fact pray most earnestly for the 
preaching of the Gospel : Lord, they say, grant unto Thy 
servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy word. 
(Acts iv. 29.) And the Apostle Paul not only prayed himself, 
but asked others also for their prayers, that the Lord would 
give him power and strength to preach the Gospel. (Ephes. 
vi. 19. Coloss. iv. 3. 1 Thess. iii. 1.) And, like Christ, they 
also prayed for all believers. (Acts xiv. 23.) We read that 
Paul, together with all the Priests of the Church of Ephesus, 
kneeled down, and prayed for the believers. (Acts xx. 36. 
xxi. 8.) And this is attested by all the Apostolical Epistles, 
especially by those of Paul. For to whatever people he 
preached, and to whomsoever he wrote, he always with in- 
comparable zeal prayed for them all, that they might know 
the true God ; that holy faith might grow up and be perfected 
in them ; that Christian love and all other virtues might be 
increased. (Rom. i. 9, 10. Ephes. i. 16, 17 \) 

1 St. Basil the Great in his Moral Eules or Canons drawn from the New 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



275 



Testament, in Part. Ixx. ch. 14, has these words : The pastor and teacher PART 
of the Gospel should pray for the people^ that hy his preaching they may ^' 
make progress in faith and holy living : and for all his success he should 
give thanks unto the Lord. 

It is the duty therefore of every Priest to pray for his parishioners, that 
thek faith fail not. Luke xxii. 32. 

VI. 

The injunctions cited above in sections i. and iii. com- 
mand prayer to be made for all men ; among whom the 
Apostle names first the king, as the head : for the monarch 
in any kingdom or empire is set as a head over the whole 
people by God. To him all orders in common^ and every 
man in particular, from the first to the last, are bound to 
render obedience, and honour, and all fidelity. Rom. xiii. 1. 
and 1 Pet. ii. 13, 17. 

VII. 

Besides the sovereign, the i^postle adds these words, and for 
all that are in authority : that is, it is our duty to pray to the 
Most High also for all the inferior authorities of government, 
which are subordinate to the supreme monarchical power, that 
they may be guided by God's Spirit so to act in the perform- 
ance of their several duties, and in their whole lives, as He 
requires ^ of them ; that we may lead, as the Apostle desired, a 
quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. For this 
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. 1 Tim. 
ii. 2, 3, 4. 

1 The Lord in His word requires of all authorities and rulers set by God 
over the people, 1. As regards themselves, that they be religious men, 
fearing God ; just men, hating pride : Exod. xviii. 21. that they be wise, and 
understanding: Deut. i. 13. 15. II. As regards the people and all w^ho 
are under them, that they be careful for the common good, and constantly 
endeavour to preserve quiet and good order among the people, at the same 
time that they with discretion repress and punish evil men, and protect the 
innocent : that so crimes and vices of all kinds may decrease, and virtue 
every where flourish: Kom. xiii. 3, 4. 1 Pet. ii. 14. IH. As regards all 
causes which may come before them, that they be impartial, and just: 
Hear the causes, says God, between your brethren, and judge righteously 

T 2 



276 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, between every man and his brother, or the stranger that is ivith him : Ye 
— shall not respect persons in judgment : ye shall hear the small as ivell as the 
great : and ye shall not be afraid of the face of mail : for the judgment is God's. 
Deut. i. 16, 17. Further, the Lord, amongst other things, forbids the re- 
ceiving of gifts : They shall not ivr est judgment . . . neither shall they take 
gifts : for gifts blind the eyes of ivise men, and pervert the words of the just. 
Deut. xvi. 19. On this head see the directions excellently given in ch. xix. 
of 2 Chron. v. 6, 7. 9, 10. 

VIII. 

The Lord commanded the Priests to pray for all the sins of 
the children of Israel : for we all sin much_, and continually ; 
(James iii. 2.) and that many nets and snares luring us to sin 
surround us we cannot fail to see from nearly every day^s 
experience in life. Wherefore, that we may both ourselves, 
and all our people, be enabled to obtain from God the mer- 
ciful forgiveness of our sins, and may ever be defended from 
all snares of the enemy, whether open or secret, it is abso- 
lutely necessary that the Priests, as the shepherds, and the 
more so, as being chosen for this very thing, should unceas- 
ingly implore the Divine goodness. 

IX. 

But in order that, according to the Apostle^ s desire, the 
body of sin may he destroyed; (Rom. vi. 6.) that is, as he ex- 
plains in the same place, that henceforth we should not serve 
sin; and that no sins, especially not such as are called mortal, 
(1 John v. 16.) and crying to heaven, (Gen. xviii. 20, 21. 
xix. 13. James v. 4.) may have dominion over us ; (Hom. vi. 
12. 14.) but, instead thereof, we may be all led by God's 
Spirit, yielding every one of us our members, not servants to 
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, but servants to 
righteousness unto holiness ; (Rom. vi. 19.) the pastors of the 
Church, besides the word of diligent instruction to the people, 
must also ever labour with most fervent prayers to God, es- 
pecially when they stand before His altar ; and must intreat 
Him to pour out the power of the Holy Ghost, and to put 
His fear in the hearts ^ of His people, to the extirpation of all 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



277 



impure and ungodly living, which is the source of all miseries part 
and evils to the whole world. Jer. iv. 17, 18. 

1 The prayers of St. Basil the Great appointed for the Sixth and Ninth 
Hours are to this purpose : and there are other prayers in reference to 
divers necessities in the other Offices for the Hours and their Intervals : 
also some of the Priest's prayers for Vespers and Matins in the Service- 
book are such as Priests may use, and ought to use, devoutly at home, no 
less than in the church, to intreat God's goodness, and to give thanks. And 
there are many of David's Psalms in the Psalter proper for different occa- 
sions and necessities, which a careful Priest, who thinks of his own and his 
people's salvation, will not fail to use in like manner. But in all cases let 
the Lord's Prayer be said first. 

X. 

From those evils that be inward spring those that be 
outward also; as from bitter seeds still more bitter fruits. 
Oftentimes people are obliged for their sins to endure divers 
calamities and plagues : but in all these, they have none 
other refuge, but God : God is our refuge and strength, our 
Helper in time of trouble : (Ps. xlvi. 1.) and He has Himself 
given us a commandment, saying, Call upon Me in the day 
of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee. (Ps. 1. 15.) And so 
Priests, as public guides and intercessors, should in tem- 
poral calamities also go first, and lead all, both the com- 
munity at large ^ and families and individuals in private 
life^, with fervent prayers to God. 

1 As regards the community at large, it is the duty of Priests in time of 
continued bad weather, to pray for such a change, as may suit the wants of 
the husbandman ; in time of drought, for showers, that the earth may bring 
forth her fruit : Ask of the Lord, it is written, in due time the early and 
the latter rain: (Zach. x. 1.) and in time of war they should pray for 
victory over the enemy, after the example of Moses against Amalek, (Exod, 
xvii.) of Gideon against Midian, (Judg. vii. and viii.) and the like. 

'-^ As regards private individuals, the Priest should pray for the comfort 
of the afflicted ; for the delivery and freedom of the captive ; and for the 
recovery and health of the sick, together with the pardon of his sins ; 
(James v. 15.) for the gift of patience to him that is persecuted ; for speedy 
succour, support, and defence, for him that is in the agony of death ; and 
the like, according as the case may be. 

XI. 

But when the Lord, for the multiplication of sin and 



278 



ON THE DUTY OF FAEISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, unrighteousness^ and for man's contempt of His judgments, 

— either threatens to punish or actually punishes any city, or 

whole country, with famine, pestilence, earthquake, or any 
other grievous plague ; in such cases the duty of the Priests 
is, I. To exhort all the people in common to repentance; 
that they all, and every one of them, should leave off their 
own evil ways, and turn unto the Lord; as it is written; 
Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, and so iniquity 
shall not be your ruin : (Ezek. xviii. 30.) and again : Turn 
ye to Me loith all your heart, with fasting, and with weeping, 
and with mourning ; and rend your hearts, and not your gar- 
ments : . . for the Lord is. merciful: ^c. (Joel ii. 12, 13.) 
II. The Priests themselves should, with the deepest devo- 
tion, set themselves as a walP between God and the people, 
after the example of Moses, and others of the prophets, and 
with contrition of heart fall down before Him, and pray, 
and so turn away God's just wrath : Let the Priests, as they 
7ninister to the Lord, saith the Prophet, weep between the steps 
of the altar, and let them say ; Lord ! spare Thy people, ^c. 
Joel ii. 17. 

1 Such a wall was Moses, Exod. xxxii. 11, &c. Numb. xi. 2. Moses, 
it is written, jaraye^Z unto the Lord, and the Jire ceased. And cli. xiv. 19, 
20. Of which David also makes mention ; Had not Moses His chosen stood 
before Him in contrition, to turn away His wrathful indignation, lest He 
should consume them. Ps. cvi. 23. So Aaron set himself between the dead 
and the living, and prayed fervently ; and then the plague ceased. Numb, 
xvi. 47, 48. Likewise did also other prophets; as Samuel, 1 Kings vi. 
Isaiah, ch. Ixiii. and Ixiv. Daniel, ch, ix. and Jeremiah, xiv. 7, &c. 2 Esd. 
ix. Neh. ix., &c. These called upon the Lord, confessing in their own 
persons the sins of the whole people, and He heard them ; for they kept 
His testimonies. 

XII. 

Here it will be fitting and profitable to note that the 
Lord, at such times as He is bringing any public chastise- 
ments upon a people, looks down from heaven, to see if there 
be any one, who may stand before the Lord, and stay His 
wrath, and turn it to mercy : / sought, saith the Lord, for a 
man among them living righteously, and standing earnestly 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PllIESTS. 



279 



before My face in the time of Mine anger, that I should not part 

altogether destroy the city ; but I found none. And I poured '- — 

out mine indignation upon them in the fire of My lorath, to 
consume them : their ivays have I returned upon their heads, 
saith the Lord God. (Ezek. xxii. 30, 31.) And, in considera- 
tion of this, Pastors ought most anxiously to give heed to 
themselves, and to the signs of God's judgments. For if any 
man, then certainly much more are they bound to be living 
righteously, and ever to stand earnestly before the Lord, espe- 
cially in time of national chastisements; that the word of 
the Lord above-mentioned be not spoken of them ; nor that 
other, which He spake by the prophet Jeremiah, saying ; 
The Pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the 
Lord. Jer. x. 21. 

XIII. 

We have said above, in ch. II. (Part I. Section xxviii.) 
that it is the Priest's duty in every kind or branch of teach- 
ing to instil into the hearts of his hearers the knowledge 
of Jesus Christ the Son of God, and faith in Him. Listen, 
then, O ye Priests ! This same thing is what we should in our 
prayers also make our very first object, and with the Apostle 
bow our knees to our heavenly Father, and beseech Him 
without ceasing, that He would be pleased to fill all be- 
lievers with His heavenly knowledge ; and grant that Christ 
may dwell, by faith, in our hearts ; (Ephes. iii. 17. 19.) and 
that we may comprehend His love, ivhich passeth man's 
knoivledge. And if we be indeed filled with these super- 
natural gifts from our Savioiu', then, in all adversities, what- 
ever we ask in Christ's Name, it shall be done for us : and, 
what is more, all things, that fall out, shall be unto us for 
good. For if God spared not His oivn Son, but delivered Him 
up for us all, hoiv shall He not with Him also freely give us 
all our petitions ? Rom. viii. 32. 

XIV. 

The Apostle has ordered that with prayers and supplica- 
tions thanks also should be made unto the Lord for all men : 



280 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP. (1 Tim. ii. 1.) and even nature lierself suggests to every 

one the same. If any one do us good, we love him, and 

honour him, and give him thanks: and who is there that 
so fills us with benefits as God ? (Ps. cxlv. 9.) In Him we 
all live, and move, and have our being. (Acts xvii. 28.) From 
His hand it is that we receive all things needful and profit- 
able, both for this temporal life, and for that everlasting life 
which is to come. (Ps. civ. 28.) Wherefore, it necessarily follows 
that we should all of us, and for all things, render thanks 
unto the Lord, with love and devotion ; that it be [not said 
of us, as of others in old time. They forgat His benefits, and 
the wonderful works that He had shewn them. (Ps. Ixxviii. 12.) 
and again : There ivere not found that returned to give glory 
to God. Luke xvii. 18. 

XV. 

When the Apostle said, In every thing give thanks ; for this 
is the ivill of God in Jesus Christ concerning you ; (1 Thess. 
17, 18.) he gave us to understand that it is our duty not 
only when in prosperity, and enjoying God^s bounties, but 
also when suffering affliction, or any special discipline from 
the hand of the Most High, and though death itself be near, 
still, even then, to join with prayer thanksgivings^ in the Name 
of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and the Father; (Ephes. v. 
20.) after the example of the Apostles. Acts v. 41. ch. xvi. 25. 

1 St. Chrysostom, Horn. xix. on Ephes., writes thus : Let your petitions 
be made known together with thanksgiving to God: for nothing is so 
pleasing to God as to see a man thankful : especially Tnayjve^ thank Him, 
tohen tve have been enabled to withdraw our soul from the above-imntioned 
vices of lying, wrath, bitterness, dishonesty, impurity, fornication, and 

covetousness ; and to purify it with the virtues contrary to such vices 

^Y}lat then ? Ought loe to give thanks for every thing that befalls us ? 
Certainly we ought : even though it be sickness ; even though it be poverty. 
For if in the Old Testament a certain wise r,ian coidd teach, saying ; 
' Whatsoever may be brought upon thee, receive it all lovingly, and in the 
changes of thy humiliation be patient /' much more should this be so in the 
New. Even if thou wantest for words, still say, ^ I thank Thee P for that 
is thanksgiving. But if, when thou receivest benefits, and aboundest in all 
things, and art happy and prosperous, thou givest thanks, this is nothing 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



281 



great^ nor wonderful : ivhat is sought of tJiee is to give thanks in afflictions, PART 

in sicknesses, in di-fficulties, in distresses. Utter nothing before these words, ^— — 

' / tha7ik Thee, Lord /' And why s'peak I of afflictions here ? We ought 
to thank Ood even for hell itself, its pains and torments. For this greatly 
profits us, if we attend to it, to have the fear of hell put as a bridle upon 
our heart .... And further on in the same Homily ; When we are in poverty, 
ivhen we are in sickness, when we are in danger, let us then enlarge our 
thanksgivings ; thanksgivings, I mean, not by words, nor by the tongue ; 
but let us thank Him in act and deed, with our minds, our hearts, and our 
whole souls : for He loveth us more than they who begat us. 

XVI. 

The injunctions and examples set down hitherto regard 
prayers and supplications for the living : but the Priest^ as 
the steward of the Mysteries [or Sacraments'] of God, ought 
beside this to pray also for the departed, in the hope and 
faith of the resurrection of them that sleep. Of this we have 
certain assurance both from the Scripture^, and also from 
Christ^s Holy Church in Apostolical and primitive times ^. 

1 The prophet Baruch, amongst other things, prays for the dead: 
Lord, he says, Almighty, Thou God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the 
dead Israelites, .... and remember not the iniquities of our forefathers. 
ch. iii. 4, 5. In the second book of the Maccabees it is written ; All there- 
fore, praising the righteous judgment of the Lord, betook themselves unto 
prayer, praying that the sin committed might be wholly blotted out. And 
having made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two 
thousand drachmas of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem, to offer a sin-offh'ing ; 
doing therein very well and admirably, in that he took thought for the 
resurrection .... Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that 
they might be loosed from their sin. ch. xii. 41 . . 46. 

2 The successors of the Apostles in the first ages, and the doctors of the 
Church, give us the strongest testimonies on this point : but here it will be 
enough to select one or two places. The holy martyr Cyprian in certain 
of his Epistles makes distinct mention of the commemoration of the 
departed in the Unbloody Sacrifice. St. Basil the Great, in his Liturgy, 
and in his Prayers for the Day of Pentecost, made prayers for the dead. 
St. Chrysostom, on Philipp., Mor. iii., amongst other things, writes as 
follows : It was not for nothing that this was ordained by the Apostles, that 
at the a.wful Mysteries commemorations should be made for the departed : 
And, on Acts, Mor. xxi., he writes ; Not in vain are the oblations which we 
o ferfor the departed ; not in vain the prayers ; not in vain the alms. All 



282 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, t^^^^^ things have been prescribed hy the Holy Ghost. See also the same 
Father on 1 Cor., Mor. xli., and Serm. vi. on the Priesthood, ch. iv. 

XVII. 

All the above-mentioned forms of prayer and thanksgiving 
are profitable, and agreeable to the will of God. Wherefore 
the Pastors of the Church are bound to the constant dis- 
charge of this duty^ not onty on Sundays and Holy-days in 
the churches with the congregation, but also in their own 
houses, and in all other places, alone, according as circum- 
stances may allow ^ 

1 St. Chiysostoni, on 2 Thess., Mor. iv., writes thus: Not in the church 
only, but also at home, before every thing else I make iwayers for your 
health spiritual and temporal. For there is no other prayer ivhich so 
befits a Priest, as that ivhich he makes for the loelfare of his people, before 
he approaches God to pray for his o%mi. For if Job, when he arose, prayed 
immediately for them that luerehis children only after the flesh, hoio much 
more ought we for our spiritual children to do the same ? And the same 
Father, Horn. ii. on Eom.,has these words : Can any one of us boast that 
when he prays at home he remembers all the congregation of his church ? 
I think not. But Paid so approached God not for one city only, but in a 
manner for all the ivorld ; and this not once, nor twice, nor thrice, but 
without ceasing. And, Mor. xv. on 2 Cor. ; Samuel shewed himself great 
when he said, ' God forbid that I should sin against tlie Lord in ceasing 
to pray for you^ 1 Kings xii. 23. So also David: so Abraham: so Elijah. 

XVIII. 

Nor is it less true that the ministry of the Divine Mysteries 
requires in itself fervent prayer from the Priest, that he may 
not in ministering, or after having ministered, sin in the 
Lord^s sight, nor fall under the severity of God's judgment, 
like Nadab and Abihu, (Levit. x.) and others. Wherefore, 
every Priest, to the end that he may be enabled to perform 
at all times the service of the Church without blame, ought 
most earnestly to in treat the Lord to bestow upon him the 
power of the Holy Spirit. For He alone it is. Who, as He 
first appoints and makes men Priests through the lajdng on 
of the Bishop's hands, so also afterwards in the work of 
their ministry makes them able ministers of the New Testa- 
ment, needing not to be ashamed. 2 Cor. iii. 6. 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



283 



XIX. 

More especially is this required of the Priest by the Service 
of the Divine Liturgy : for herein not only is that Mystery 
performed which Christ instituted at His Last and mystical 
Supper; (Mat. xxvi. Luke xxii. John vi. 51.) but also the 
whole economy of our salvation^ wrought out by our Lord 
Jesus Christ the Son of God^ is commemorated^ according to 
the commandment; This do in remembrance of Me. 1 Cor. xi. 
24. And hence every one must see of what surpassing great- 
ness is this Priestly ministration \ 

1 St. CLysostom, Serm. iii. on tlie Priesthood, cb. iv., writes thus: Dost 
thou wish to see the excellence of this Priestly service ? Ficture to thyself 
Elijah unth oil the multitude of the j^cople standing hy around him ; ivith 
the sacrifice lying on the stones; and all the rest standing in silence and 
hreathless attention^ while the Prophet alone is praying : then on a sudden 
the fire falling from heaven itpon the sacrifice. Here is a miracle^ and one 
most striking and awful. But pass from thence to ivhat is being 
doTie now. Here thou shalt see not ordy miracles, hut miracles heyond all 
ivonder, overpoivering. The Priest stands bringing doion not fire, but the 
Holy Ghost. He is long praying, not that a material flame may fall from 
above to devour vjhat lies before him, hut that grace, coming doivn on the 
Sacrifice, may inflame the soids of cdl, and maJce them brighter than any 
silver purified in the fire. Who then can think lightly of this most tremen- 
dous Mystery ? Who^ but he that is either an idiot, or a madman ? 

XX. 

And the greater and more excellent this Mystery, so much 
greater danger is there, and so much more need of caution 
in its ministration. Herein the minister of the Lord^s 
altar ought to give most diligent heed to himself, practis- 
ing extraordinary purity and sobriety, and shewing extra- 
ordinary devotion 1; that his ministry may not turn to his 
own condemnation. And therefore he should prepare himself 
for it beforehand both in soul and in body, according to those 
commandments given in Scripture ; Let the priests, that come 
nigh to the Lord God, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break 
forth, and destroy any of them : (Ex. xix. 22,) and again ; Let 
the priests, when they come near to the altar to minister, and 
to offer gifts to the Lord, ivash their hands and their feet ivith 



284 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CKAP. water : tliat is, let them purify themselves from all filthiness 

of the flesh, and of the spirit ; and so, having duly prepared 

themselves, let them stand before the face of God, and 
perfect Holiness in His fear. Esod. xxx. 20, 21. 2 Cor. 
vii. 2. 

1 St. Clirysostom, Semi. vi. on the Priesthood, writes thus : When the 
Priest stands hefore the altar to invoke the Holy Ohost, and to consummate 
the most tremendous sacrifice, and to touch repeatedly with his hands the com- 
mon Lord of all, at that moment, tell me, lohat purity, ivhat devotion riiust 
not he required of him ! Think, what hands should they he, which are used 
for this service ! what that tongue, which is to utter such words ! Who 
shall he so pure and holy, as to receive into his soul so great a Spirit ? At 
that time Angels stand with the Priest; and the whole order of the heavenly 
powers cry aloud, and fill the space round about the altar, in adoration of 
Him Who lieth thereon. 

XXI. 

To such preparation, on the one hand, the very nature and 
essence of this Mystery and its marvellous effects sweetly in- 
vite our hearts; He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My 
Bloody saith the Lord, dwelleth in Me and I in Him : and 
again, He that eateth this Bread shall live for ever: (J ohn vi. 56. 
58.) while on the other hand fear and terror drive us with the 
thought of the consequences, if we are unprepared, or unde- 
vout : For whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink this cup of 
the Lord unworthily , shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of 
the Lord, Such a minister eateth and drinketh judgment to 
himself (1 Cor. xi. 27. 29.) And if all in common, who 
approach unworthily, incur so fearful a judgment, then cer- 
tainly the minister, who ministers unworthily at this Sacra- 
ment, will incur a double judgment, a double portion of 
torment : first, for that he ministers unworthily ; secondly, 
for that he eateth and drinketh unworthily, not considering 
the Body and Blood of the Lord^ 

1 Give heed to thyself, O Priest ; and remember that Moses, when he 
went up to the Mount that smoked with fire, said of himself ; / exceedingly 
fear and quake : but thou drawest near not to the Mount that may be 
touched, but unto Mount Sion, to God the Judge of all, to the Lord Jesus, 



ON THE 1>UTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



285 



the Mediator of the New Testament, and to the Blood of sprinkling, that PART 

speaketh better things than that of Abel. Heb. xii. 22. ..24. Conse- — 

quently, thou oughtest even much more to approach and stand with fear 
and devotion. It was said unto Moses at the bush, Put off thy shoes 
from off thy feet : do thou too put off the shoes of carnal affections from 
the feet of thy soul ; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. He was 
devout, that he might look up before the Lord God : be thou too devout, 
for thou hast to stand before the face of God. Isaiah saw the Lord, and 
was humbled : Is. vii. Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord, and fell on his 
face : Ezek. ii. Daniel likewise was vouchsafed a vision of the Lord, 
and fell down, and lay on the ground, and trembled, and was sore astonied : 
Dan. X. but to thee the Lord, even Christ, hath vouchsafed the grace of 
His Priesthood, and hath called thee to minister at the altar of His glory : 
do thou therefore also fear ; and fall down both with thy soul, and with thy 
body; and pray with humility and devotion. This is the end and intent of 
the examples given above, to serve thee as patterns, both in preparing thy- 
self beforehand, and in ministering : and indeed the very substance of the 
Prayers of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great and St. Chrysostom 
suffices to assure thee of the same : only do thou give heed. 

XXII. 

Before concluding this Part, we must remind Priests that 
this is not enough, that they be themselves zealous in prayer, 
and practised in it, but they are further absolutely bound 
by their calling to teach the unlettered peasants of their 
cures the true way of praying to God; even as Christ the 
Lord, His Apostles, and John the Baptist taught their dis- 
ciples how to pray. Luke xi. I, &c. 

XXIIL 

For the unlettered people in parishes those Prayers will 
suffice, which are printed in the Primers and Catechisms : 
and in order that they may be generally and thoroughly 
learned, and always used in spirit and in truth, as in the 
presence of God, it is the duty of Priests to take all possible 
diligence in teaching them ; and never to cease, till they are 
learned perfectly^. 

1 In teaching people how to pray. Priests should earnestly exhort both the 
parents themselves and their children every evening and morning to read or 



286 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



CHAP, say over the appointed Prayers, and to begin all their labours in the field 
— — or elsewhere with prayer, and end them with thanksgiving ; that so the 
Lord may bless all their labours and industry. how laudably and how 
profitably would parish Priests with their inferior clerks be acting towards 
the discharge of their duties, if they would teach the children of their 
parish, from six or seven to nine or ten years old, to read from book the 
printed Prayers, and God's Commandments! for between those ages such 
children mostly spend their time in doing nothing, being unfit as yet for 
labour in the field, though very capable of learning to read prayers. And 
so in a year and a half or in two years' time they might teach perfectly the 
Prayers, and the Commandments. 

XXIV. 

The commandment of the Lord requires that, besides 
praying at home, Christians go also to pray together in the 
church : Enter, it is written, into the comets of the Lord : 
and again : Worship the Lord in His holy court. (Ps. xxviii. 
2.) Therefore it is the Priest^s duty to explain that all are 
bound not only to pray at home, but also to come to the 
House of the Lord ^ on Sundays, and other like days, by the 
tenor of the fourth Commandment, to give honour and glory 
to God's holy Name. (Ps. xxviii.) Indeed how great is the 
importance and virtue of the assembling of ourselves together 
in public prayer is plain from hence, that the Lord has 
promised to be present Himself in the midst of such assem- 
blies, and to hear and receive our petitions. (Mat. xviii. 19, 
20.) And, consequently, whosoever despises or neglects the 
assembling together of ourselves in the church, by this trans- 
gression of the Lord^s commandment deprives himself of the 
benefit of His most precious promise. 

1 To awaken a disposition and to increase zeal to go to church for 
prayer, and especially to attend the celebration of the Holy Liturgy, we 
may derive great good from considering, I. Examples in the word of God : 
Luke ii. 37. Acts iii. 1. Ps. xlii. 2. .5, Ps. Ixxxiv. 2, 3. II. Examples in 
the Lives of the Holy Fathers, and in Ecclesiastical History, in which we 
read that the Christians of the primitive ages shewed such ardent zeal for 
their ecclesiastical assemblies, and for prayer, that no persecutions, nor even 
the fear of the most cruel kinds of death, could keep them away from them. 
And though in those times there were in some countries no public churches, 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



287 



they nevertheless met together on the Sundays and other Holy-days in such PART 
places as they could, to glorify God by the ecclesiastical service. For this 
we have the testimony of the holy Martyr Justin, and of Tertullian, a 
Presbyter and Doctor of the West, in their Apologies, besides other writers 
of Church History. III. The promises of God, (3 Kings ix. 3,) and the 
doctrine contained in many of the Psalms on this point ought to be a suf- 
ficient incitement both to the Priest himself, and also no less to his 
parishioners. 

XXV. 

And when men are ready thus far^ and do in fact attend 
the services of the Churchy that they may not even yet risk 
losing the benefits of Christ^s promise^ the Priest should ex- 
plain to the common people that God's House is the house of 
prayer; (Mat. xxi. 13.) and that in His temple every man, that 
attendetli, must speak, to His honour. (Ps. xxix. 28.) And, 
consequently, they that stand in the church must stand with 
devotion, and give diligent heed^ to the reading of God^s 
word, and to all that is done, or sung, during the service to 
His glory. But that all this may be to the edification of 
those who so attend, it is a most necessary part of the Priest^s 
duty to take care that the Eeaders read intelligibly; according 
to that commandment which is written, Be not hasty with 
thy lips, neither let thy heart hurry to utter any words before 
the face of God. (Eccles. v. 1.) The like also is addressed 
to Singers ; Sing 2^raises unto God, sing with understanding. 
(Ps. xlvii. 7, 8.) Thus ordered, the reading and singing will 
edify and comfort the hearer : and so the attention of the ear 
will be followed by devotion of spirit. 

1 Keep, it is written, thy foot, ivhen thou goest to the House of God, and 
he ready to hear : Eccles. iv. 17. Here we should remind all, and specially 
the common people, that there is nothing which can be done by him, who 
stands in the church, more acceptable to God, than to listen with attention 
to His word. The Prophet saith thus: Hath the Lord as great delight in 
hurnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord P Behold, 
to obey is better than sacrifice., and to hearken than the fat of rams. And 
how great is the sin of not hearkening to God's word, more especially in 
the church, the Holy Ghost in the same place, in the verse following, ex- 
plains, by the mouth of the prophet Samuel, saying ; As witchcraft is sin. 



288 



ON THE DUTY OF PARISH PRIESTS. 



. CHAP, so is opposition; that is, tlie not hearkening ; and as idolatry is sin, so is 

— stubbornness. 1 Kings xxii. 23. 

The very words of that proclamation, which is so often made in the 
church either by the Priest or by the Deacon, ' Let us attend ! Wisdom ! 
Let us attend !' ought to excite all alike. Singers, Readers, and congrega- 
tion, to earnest and devout attention. 

On standing and listening in the church see St. Chrysostom, on Acts, 
Mor. xix. and Horn. xxxi. 1 Cor. Mor. xxxvi. 2 Thess. Mor. iii. Heb, 
Mor. XV. 

CONCLUSION. 

The propositions which we have thus far set down con- 
cerning the four -branches of Priestly Duty will suffice to 
give those who have not studied Divinity some notion of 
them, and to inspire all, we may hope, with some degree of 
earnestness and zeal for their due performance. And so 
now it is your part, O Priests, to receive this little treatise 
in a spirit of love, and to read it through with diligent 
attention. Thus the commandments of the Lord and the 
examples cited in it shall be to you for incitements, for in- 
struction, and for confirmation in the discharge of your 
duties. May the Holy Ghost Himself, the Spirit of truth, 
be in all things your Guide, your Master, and your Teacher. 

IF TE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YE SHALL ASK AVHAT 
YE WILL, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU. Johu XV. 7. 

SEEING THEN THAT WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH-PRIEST THAT IS PASSED 
INTO THE HEAVENS, JESUS THE SON OF GOD, LET US HOLD FAST OUR PRO- 
FESSION, AND LET US COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, THAT WE 
MAY RECEIVE MERCY, AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF NEED. Heb. 
iv. 14. 16. 

BUT LET US DRAW NEAR WITH A TRUE HEART, IN FULL ASSURANCE OF 
FAITH, HAVING OUR HEARTS SPRINKLED FROM AN EVIL CONSCIENCE, AND 
OUR BODIES WASHED WITH PURE WATER. lb. X. 22. 



THE END. 



GLORY BE TO GOD. 



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